In 70 long years of loyal service to the nation, the Queen touched the hearts of generations across Greater Manchester. While most admired her sense of duty from afar, some residents were lucky enough to meet her.
As part of her role, the Queen made trips up and down the country, including Greater Manchester on a number of occasions. She also thanked the efforts of hardworking members of the public for their inspirational work through awards and honours.
The Manchester Evening News spoke to residents, councillors and charity workers who had the chance to meet the nation's longest-reigning monarch. They shared the special memories and magic moments that tell the story of what it was really like to meet her.
Chris Ogden, from Swinton, was 22 when he met the Queen at Buckingham Palace after the University of East Anglia won a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2012. He says the Queen made him feel 'the most important person in the room', before ending her chat with a nod.
Chris, who now lives in Hulme, told the M.E.N. : "I remember her being friendly, attentive and curious, asking me questions about my studies and creative writing as a discipline. We only spoke for a minute or two, but she made me feel like the most important person in the room in that time which meant a lot as a 22-year-old student.
"I remember her asking specifically 'how does one teach creative writing?' and 'how does one learn it compared to a scientific discipline?'. She was very curious about how it worked. That's the main thing I got from it - she was very interested to know about what I was studying.
"She asked a lot of questions. It can't have been more than two or three minutes
"You see her on a coin every day, then suddenly you've got this little old lady - and she was smaller than I expected. You're making eye contact with the Queen, and it's a very strange experience to meet this national treasure that you see on a bank note.
"She was more informal than I expected, she put everyone at ease. We were told in advance how we should introduce ourselves to her, but I think I ended up saying something informal because I was nervous. She was easier to get on with that I expected.
"When she had to go, she gave this very polite little nod to give the impression your time was up. At the time it felt like it was a bit of a secret - we knew the conversation we had just had, but she had to go now."
Jason Tinney, from Ashton-under-Lyne, was just 13 when he was snuck into Windsor Castle along with fellow students at the Royal Ballet School in London. "It was a surprise for Prince Philip's 80th birthday," said Jason, who now lives in Salford.
"We were taken to Windsor Castle, went in round the back and we performed this dance, a hornpipe. Afterwards we all stood in a semi-circle and she came round to say hello to all of us.
"I was the youngest to perform that day and we were in age order so she came to me first. She said 'well done' and asked how old I was. She said 'you did very well' and then moved on. After it happened I was in a newspaper and my mum kept the clipping.
"I think as a 13-year-old I didn't really realise until years later... After that I thought it was a big deal, but at the time I was just being a 13-year-old."
Describing the moment he heard about the Queen's death at 96 yesterday (September 8), Jason added: "It's really sad. That was the first thing I thought, at least I got to meet her, I shook her hand. Not many people can say that. It was just lovely that I had that memory."
Mike Hymanson met the Queen back in 2014. The chairman of local charity Destination Florida, that gives children with life threatening illnesses the opportunity to visit the US state, he was awarded an MBE for charitable services to children and young people.
Mike said his encounter with the Queen was a ‘lucky’ one. He told the M.E.N. how he had no idea that he was going to be meeting the queen and was expecting anther member of the royal family to turn up.
Speaking about the moment he met the Queen, he said: “It was unbelievable. We didn’t know who would present the award until we reached the place and when I was on the way there they told me ‘you’re in luck, the flag is at full mast, that means the Queen is in’.
"There was probably 90 to 100 people in the line and what I noticed is that she made everyone feel like she wanted to spend time with them, it didn’t feel like a process. Being so close to her, the first thing I noticed was how good her skin was, it was amazing for 88.
“I timed how long I spoke to her and I think it was for a minute, but it felt like 30 minutes, she just made me feel special. It was like speaking to my mum, I felt very comfortable. She’s a loss to everyone. It’s something I that I’m very lucky to have been a part of.”
Coun Pat Karney, Manchester council's city centre spokesperson, has met the Queen no less than five times. But the moment he actually got to have a conversation with her was in 1996, when she visited Manchester after the IRA bombing that devastated the city.
Speaking about her visit, he said: "We showed her the plans for the area where the bomb went off. She had done her homework and asked very relevant questions. Manchester was shattered so the visit was a boost to everyone working on the rebuilding of the city."
The Queen returned to the city in 2013 to open the Youth Zone Centre in Harpurhey. As ward councillor, it's an occasion that lives long in Coun Karney's memory.
"The crowds outside McDonalds facing the centre could not believe that the Queen was in Harpurhey," he added. "No one could remember any royal visits. All the kids she spoke to were thrilled. We were told not to take pictures but I wanted one for Harpurhey."
The Queen's final visit to the city took place last July. She visited Manchester Cathedral to mark the building's 600th anniversary.
Today (Friday), Dean of Manchester Rogers Govender MBE joined mourners at the Cathedral. He described last year's visit as 'remarkable'. "She was a great person to host," he added.
"I introduced her to all of my colleagues and I gave to her a gift of six jars of Heavenly Honey, which is made by the bees on the roof of the Cathedral. We had a conversation about that and she was incredibly interested. It was a special time, and one that will be in my memory forever."
On the same visit, the Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus - now the Manchester Proud Chorus - performed for the Queen on the Palace's request. Carl Austin-Behan, Manchester's first openly gay Lord Mayor, told BBC Radio Manchester the Queen was 'very knowledgeable' about the city's LGBTQ+ community, and the pair spoke about the progress made in recent decades.
He said: "It was such a bizarre and unique moment. When she walked over she was like your grandma coming to you. You just wanted to give her a hug."
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