Magnificent response

After a journey that started in Telford along routes lined with waving country folk, the Royal couple was treated in Ludlow to a town packed with joyful spectators and a sea of fluttering red, white and flue flags.

At every arrival point - the Library and Museum Resource building at Parkway, Castle Square and its Local-to- Ludlow farm produce market, the entrance to the Ludlow Castle lined with excited school children and in the castle itself - there was a surge of cheering and whistles and a show of delight on the faces of hundreds of delighted onlookers.

As Buckingham Palace spokeswoman Collette Saunders said: "They have had a fantastic welcome. It has all been bubbles, just like the jubilee."

The Royal car arrived to a colourful scene-of-plenty in Castle Square with 30 to 40 stalls under the green and white striped canvases laden with everything from strawberries and honey to sizzling sausages and displays of local crafts and art work.

Still escorted by the Lord Lieutenant, Algernon Heber-Percy, the Queen walked straight over to the crowd barriers at the Broadhursts corner chatting to delighted onlookers. She stopped to greet elderly residents of Ludlow's Alexandra House, Mrs Vera Gregson, Mr Stanley Weatherall and Mrs Molly Lewis. Mrs Gregson said: "I think it was a wonderful idea for her to come. It has brought a lot of people in and she had a chance to fall in love with Ludlow."

The Queen and the Duke then separated to walk up the two rows of stalls after receiving a bouquet of flowers efficiently taken care of by a small smartly-uniformed team from St John Ambulance and from the 33 Ludlow Air Training Corps.

It was a day to remember for Kate Norman, of Ludlow 21 Local-to-Ludlow Group, which started the local produce market three years ago.

She said: "They were both wonderful. Every stall-holder was spoken to. I followed the Queen and she showed a genuine interest, asking questions that showed she had good farming knowledge. She stopped at the honey stall and asked about the problem of rape and at the raspberries to ask if they were hand-picked. She seemed delighted with the Owl Rescue stall and I think thought the owls were stuffed because she jumped when they moved.

"There was a case of live bees and, of course, we showed her the queen bee."

Her first stop was at the Berkshire Pig meat stall of Guy and Chris Tudge whose father was later to receive a certificate delivered by the Queen as one of three traders who had been with the market since it was first set up.

Diane Smith of Bucknell with her 126 varieties of Addis Countryside Preserves was next and was asked if she made them all herself, which she does. Kay and David Fletcher of Ludlow's Cariad Cakes, were asked whether they traded there every month and Carl Rowley, busy cooking susages at the Ludlow Sausage Company stall promoting the Ludlow Food festival sausage trail, was asked about the different recipes.

In the craft section Jane Carol at her Old Times Chairs stall enjoyed a few words with the queen about the woodwork but did not tell her she was the new Mayor of Bishop's Castle.

During a short ceremony presenting certificates to the loyal local produce stallholders she had a chance to meet Orleton Farm Shop's Rosemary Lewis who told her she had just taken a post as manager of the Queen's own Windsor Farmers' Market. Also receiving certificates were her father, George Lewis, and Nicky Moore.

Walking towards the Castle entrance the Duke paused to perform a little dance to indicate a bumpy surface to a delighted wheelchair-bound Mrs Mary Minch of Potters Close, Ludlow. She said: "It's a wonderful day and it's me 85th birthday too."

Flag-waving schoolchildren lined the way into Ludlow Castle. Bryony Ward, 7, of Clee Hill School received a Royal "thank you" for her posy and standing smartly at the entrance were Royal British Legion standard bearers John and Margaret Spittle.

The Royal couple were presented to the Earl of Powis and Castle custodian Helen Duce. But it was also a highlight event for the Ludlow Festival whose chairman and other members of his team accompanied the party into the Inner Bailey of the castle.

In the company of a large audience they saw a 15-minute performance of extracts from the two festival Shakespeare plays introduced by director Michael Bogdanov and afterwards met the cast.

The finale of the visit was in the green-grassed area of the outer bailey where both Queen and Duke admired electric racing car engineering displays by Ludlow College, Bishop's Castle Community College, and Ludlow School and talked to students.

They passed a display of medieval tableaux before stopping in the tea tent briefly, with no time to eat gourmet sandwiches provided by Ludlow top chefs, before leaving for the train in the Royal Car.