Hundreds of people have braved the weather to welcome the Queen to the south west of England .
Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen arrived by Royal Train to begin a series of engagements in Dorset and Wiltshire as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK.
Although the heavy rain that had made April the wettest on record continued into May, well-wishers patiently stood outside Sherborne Abbey to await their royal visitors. Once there the royal couple joined primary school children enjoying a Mad Hatter's Tea Party in a marquee on the lawn.
The Queen was presented with a bouquet of flowers by eight-year-old Leah McGarry. Dressed as Alice from Alice In Wonderland, Leah was thrilled to have met the royal guest.
"I feel really excited that I was chosen to hand over the flowers to the Queen," she said afterwards.
The royal couple then made the short journey by car to the nearby Digby Memorial Hall where they attended a 1952-themed coffee morning with guests and staff from residential homes across Dorset.
As they arrived, they both waved to the crowds waiting outside and the Queen was handed two bunches of flowers by well-wishers.
After meeting people enjoying the party, they went outside and spoke to members of the public before returning to the station by car and then on to Salisbury aboard the Royal Train.
Click through the slideshow below to see more of the Queen's visit...
