Hundreds of children will remember the momentous day they met the Queen.

Eager to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty, the youngsters waited patiently in the mud and rain for the royals to arrive at Ardingly.

During the day, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh watched a specially-choreographed music and dance display by 600 youngsters from schools in Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Among the many children who met the Queen was young royal fan Zachary McCarthy-Fox, six, from Horsham. His grandmother Jean Fox said: "The Queen knows him so well she headed straight to him."

He has met the Queen on many other occasions and she often recognises him among the crowds who turn out to greet her.

Kirsty Cuff was one of the first to present the Queen with flowers.

Kirsty, from Ardingly, was wearing a pink dress and pink wellies as she presented the bouquet.

During the Hackney horse display, in an impromptu gesture, the Queen invited a little girl to jump over the fence and present her with a bunch of flowers.

Her Majesty stopped to admire a young boy's cardboard chainsaw, which he had made in the spirit of the countryside's forestry tradition.