Hundreds gather for Queen's Christmas appearance

Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Princess Eugenie, after the church service

As always, hundreds of people went to the Queen's Sandringham estate, in Norfolk, to get a glimpse and extend Christmas greetings to Her Majesty and the rest of the Royal Family. "As early as 6 am they turn up at the estate gates, armed with chairs, blankets, thick coats and hats, some clasping flasks, as they seek to get a prime spot," reports BBC. Some even traveled  from across the country and some from beyond these shores, just to see the Queen


After the church service, the Queen, dressed in a turquoise coat and matching hat, immediately started to meet the 70 or so children who were diligently waiting in a queue to meet her.

Many were holding flowers and dressed in their best. Helped by her granddaughter Eugenie, the Queen received the flowers and spoke to every one of the children in turn. Katie Barnes said it had been her "one dream" to meet the Queen - she and her sister Maggie both gave her flowers.

Other members of the Royal Family mixed among the crowd of well-wishers. Princess Anne picked up a glove that had been dropped by one elderly lady in a wheelchair who she had been talking to.

The Duchess of Cornwall, dressed in a purple coat, received flowers and wished people a merry Christmas in return. The Duchess of Cornwall was among many Royal Family members attending

A few hundred people responded "hip hip hurrah", ending the Queen's Christmas public engagement at the close of her Diamond Jubilee year.

Originally published in: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20842125