RIP Queen Elizabeth II: Picture tribute to Her Majesty The Queen and her visits to Peterborough throughout her reign

The Queen is to be reunited with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh as she is laid to rest in a historic state funeral.

Crowds of mourners have flocked to London, Windsor and royal sites throughout the UK on the national bank holiday, with the service set to draw millions of TV viewers across the globe.

The Queen, who celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in June this year, came to the throne in 1952 and was Britain’s longest ever reigning monarch before she passed away at Balmoral Castle on September 8, at the age of 96.

She visited Peterborough four times during her 70 years as reigning monarch.

Her first visit to the city was in 1952, while still Princess Elizabeth, was when she attended Peterborough Agricultural Show at the old Showground, in Eastfield.

She visited Burghley House on several occasions, but her first official visit to the city of Peterborough as reigning monarch came in March 1975 when she handed out Royal Maundy to 49 men and 49 women in a special ceremony attended by more than 3,200 people at Peterborough Cathedral on Maundy Thursday.

Maundy money is specially minted silver coins given out by reigning British monarch on the Thursday before Easter, of which the number of recipients and the face value in pence they each receive is equal to the sovereign’s age. The Queen was 49 at the time of her visit.

She later went for a walk in Bridge Street and dined with her husband of 73 years, the late Duke of Edinburgh, and city councillors at the town hall.

On the menu was salmon mousse, roast leg of lamb, and fresh strawberries and pineapple with cream, prepared by Aldo Rossi – the head chef at the George Hotel, in Stamford.

In 1978, a year after celebrating her Silver Jubilee, The Queen returned to Peterborough to open the Magistrates Court and The Cresset, in Bretton – tying both openings in with a trip to the National Shire Horse Society’s centenary show, in Alwalton.

A crowd of 2,000 turned out to greet The Queen and Duke upon their arrival at Peterborough station.

Ten years on, in May 1988, The Queen attended a special service to mark the 750th anniversary of Peterborough Cathedral. She also opened the Edith Cavell Hospital, in Bretton, and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society’s head office, in Lynch Wood.

Her fourth and final visit came 31 years ago, in 1991, when she was present at the East of England show – where 3,000 extra visitors made their way through the turnstiles to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty.

The Peterborough Telegraph has put together a special collection of pictures from our archives to celebrate the life of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II and her visits to the city throughout the years: