The Queen is visiting Chester Zoo on Thursday as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour to celebrate 60 years on the throne.

She will be accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh as they continue their visit to the North West which began in Lancashire yesterday.

They will unveil a plaque at the new entrance of the Cheshire zoo - named the Diamond Jubilee Quarter - and then take a tour by monorail.

Afterwards, the Queen will view the rhino paddock while The Duke of Edinburgh will be taken to see the zoo's elephants.

They will then move on to Warrington, Cheshire, to officially open Orford Jubilee Park.

The £30 million park and leisure centre is the only Olympic legacy project outside London.

The Queen will be taken on a tour of the park, viewing activities including dance and sport displays.

She will then briefly tour the interior of the Orford Park building, after which she will unveil a sculpture and His Royal Highness will bury a time capsule.

In the afternoon, the Queen and Duke will visit the Merseyside Maritime Museum, where they will board a yellow Duckmarine boat and be taken on a short tour around Albert Dock before returning to the Merseyside Maritime Museum for lunch.

Yesterday, the Queen spoke of her "great pride" at the work that Prince Charles is doing to help regenerate the Lancashire town of Burnley.

Six of the Prince of Wales's charities, including The Prince's Trust, have done extensive work in the town to try and revitalise the former world centre of the cotton industry.

She was greeted with a warm welcome by hundreds of well-wishers as the royal party boarded a barge which took them along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.