MORE than a thousand people waved flags and cheered as they welcomed Her Majesty the Queen to the region this afternoon.

People of all ages lined the road and enjoyed the jubilant atmosphere as the monarch made her way down the High Street to the town hall.

The Queen chatted and accepted flowers from lots of people on both sides of the road as she made her way through the town.

Margaret Ralph, 62, from Maldon, had waited for about three hours to make sure she was in a good position to see the Queen when she arrived.

“I’m so pleased I got to see the Queen, I really admire her,” she said. “She was looking really well and took the time to speak to a lot of people. The long wait has been worth it!”

Michelle Loveland, from Maldon, who took her three children Grace, 5, Annie, 10, and Callum, 12, to meet the Queen, said: “We were all really excited about seeing her. I took the children to Buckingham Palace earlier this year and they enjoyed it so much they wanted the chance to meet her.”

Her daughter Annie said she was hoping to give a bunch of flowers to the Queen, adding she was a fan of Her Majesty’s dresses.

The Queen visited the Maldon Salt Crystal Company earlier this morning before meeting the public in the High Street and then heading to the town hall for a lunch hosted by the chairman of Maldon District Council, Robert Long and the chairman of Essex County Council Rodney Bass.

This afternoon she visited the jam maker Wilkin & Sons Ltd in Tiptree to mark their 125th anniversary.

The company was set up in June 1885 by Arthur Charles Wilkin, the great-grandfather of chairman Peter Wilkin, who said the royal visit was “a remarkable day for the staff and the company”.

“Many of the staff will recall the visit by HRH Princess Alexandra in October 1985 during the centenary celebrations,” he added.

- For full coverage and more pictures, see tomorrow’s paper.