Norfolk has witnessed scenes unique in Britain. Where else could the Queen Mother, in her inimitable fashion, walk through a town centre street?

Many a policeman’s heart has fluttered to see the Queen Mother walk past her waiting limousine to explore a new conservation project or talk to an acquaintance of long-standing.

TOUCH OF CLASS: A painting lesson during a visit to the Whitefriars Church of England junior school at King's Lynn, 1971.

These unscheduled events may have caused nightmares for security men – but they delighted passers-by. The Queen Mother, who described herself as “a neighbour”, always had an affectionate interest in Lynn and its people.

These informal visits started soon after the second world war when she toured Lynn Mart unannounced. In more recent years she made unheralded trips to see Lynn Festival exhibitions and to keep in touch with Lynn Preservation Trust projects.

Often the sudden appearance of a line of yellow cones was the only hint of the impending arrival of a car from Sandringham – not a Royal limousine but more often an estate car.

The day after the Queen Mother’s Daimler was involved in a minor accident leaving a festival concert, she arrived at the Fermoy Centre in a hired Ford.

There were occasions when staff at the Fermoy Centre looked up from their work to see the Queen Mother walk in the door. Often she loaned paintings for festival exhibitions and clearly delighted in viewing them in a gallery alongside other pictures with the same theme.

These unheralded visits were made with a minimum of fuss, and other festival goers found themselves almost rubbing shoulders with Royalty. Neither did the Queen Mother mind if hurriedly produced pocket cameras were used to record the occasion.

ARTS PATRON: The Queen Mother with Lady Fermoy at the King's Lynn Festival.

Often trips to the Fermoy Centre also provided the opportunity to inspect the Preservation Trust’s work in the town’s historic centre. An inquiry only had to be made about a current project and the Queen Mother was likely to pass the open door of her waiting car to walk along the street to see a restoration scheme in progress. She was happy to pick her way through the rubble of a dilapidated building and then return to admire the completed project.

The Queen Mother’s close interest in Lynn and its people was reflected in her concern at the end of the 1978 floods.

She returned for another look at the new Regalia Rooms which she had opened only 24 hours before flood waters were lapping up to the entrance door. Her visit brought a cheerful note to the drama and upset of the flooding at Hampton Court, one of the worst-hit parts of the town.

She saw men from RAF Coltishall helping in the mopping-up operation and thanked them for their help.

During one of the Queen Mother’s impromptu walks through the town, workmen looked up disbelievingly to see a famous pair of high heels passing by. Yes, it was the Queen Mother dodging road works in a King’s Lynn street!

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A high energy hostess
The Queen Mother’s youthful enthusiasm and boundless energy were legendary — and often left her ladies-in-waiting and other members of her household breathless! House guests readily admitted to a shortage of sleep. Even after 90 minutes in the often sultry heat of scent laden marquees at Sandringham Flower Show, the Queen Mother always went from the showground to the North Norfolk coast for a picnic.

ENERGY: A hectic visit to Harleston, 1982.

Keep it clean!
The Queen Mother liked to take her corgis out in the fields on the West Norfolk countryside during her stays on the Sandringham estate. On returning to her car she would always assiduously wipe the mud from her shoes before getting in.