Beer treat for royal couple

The Royal couple watch a barrel making demonstration

Beer was on the menu for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh when they visited the Bass National Museum of Brewing in Burton upon Trent.

The royal couple started the production of two special brews - the Queen's Ale and Duke's Ale - to mark their visit.

Huge crowds filled Burton upon Trent's Market Square to see the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrive in the town on the second day of a visit to the West Midlands as part of their Golden Jubilee tour of Britain.

Prince Philip was given a glass of special Jubilee Ale which was brewed in 1977 to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Mini Morrismen

But when told it tasted like Christmas pudding, he replied: "It doesn't taste like Christmas pudding - it's like Madeira."

The Queen decided against the ale and was shown an Edwardian bar skittles games instead.

The Duke of Edinburgh tastes the Jubilee Ale

She later visited the Brewhouse Arts Centre where she met representatives from Indian, Chinese, African-Caribbean, Turkish, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Kashmiri communities who welcomed her with a garland of red and white flowers.

Among the performances she watched at the centre were a group of eight mini Morrismen, children from the Thomas Russell Infants School.

Meanwhile the Duke visited the town's Marmite factory where he was presented with a special centenary jar, complete with a golden toast rack, commemorating 100 years of production on the site.

The Queen later arrived at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, by helicopter, her first visit to the event since 1989.

'Positive gesture'

Accompanied by the Duke, she travelled by horse-drawn carriage to the Royal Pavilion, where she met leading figures of the Royal Agricultural Society of England.

Edward Birchmore, from Upper Rissington, Gloucestershire, presented the Queen with a posy as she arrived at the National Agricultural Centre.

The four-year-old's mother, Cathy Birchmore, said: "We were the only ones here with some flowers for the Queen, so it was wonderful to be able to give her them in person.

"I think it was a very positive gesture for her to come to the show, especially as it was cancelled last year because of foot-and-mouth."

Prison doves

The royal couple also visited the National Memorial Arboretum, at Alrewas in Staffordshire.

They planted trees in memory of war dead and those from the emergency services killed on duty.

Fifty doves, bred by inmates at Long Lartin Prison, in Worcestershire, were also released, to mark the Queen's 50-year reign.

Two will be presented to the Queen for the royal dove cote at Sandringham, in Norfolk.