FORMER Amesbury mayor has been recalling his meeting with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her diamond jubilee visit to Salisbury and the "lifetime of very fond memories" from the day.

Andy Rhind-Tutt joined other mayors in the area to welcome Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh during their royal jubilee visit to the Cathedral Close on May 1, 2012.

He said: “I was humbled to represent the community of Amesbury on the Diamond Jubilee visit to Salisbury on May 1, 2012 and extremely privileged to meet Her Majesty the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.

“The day left me a lifetime of very fond memories of the meetings and conversations we shared.”

After lunch the Queen visited the Amesbury community marquee where she was introduced to Andy who had been told he only had two minutes of chatting with her but admits the meeting “considerably ran over”.

She first met local blacksmith Andy Rawlings and admired the mid-winter solstice lantern he had made, then looked at the display posters of the year of Amesbury 2012 events and asked about the Mesolithic flint display that had come from the newly discovered Blick Mead.

“Her Majesty was so interested in this new discovery of life more than 3000 years before Stonehenge," recalls Andy.

“As we proceeded clockwise around the tent, Her Majesty arrived at Amesbury’s Royal history we had prepared and was delighted to read that her 20 times great grandmother Queen Eleanor of Provence who was Henry IIIs Queen and who reigned during the consecration of Salisbury Cathedral had retired to take the veil and become a nun at Amesbury Priory in 1285 and was laid to rest there by Edward I in 1291.”

After meeting Wiltshire council representatives the Queen turned her attention to the medieval Sanctus bell which came from St Mary and St Melor Church. “Does it still dong” she asked with a smile on her face.

“Needless to say my two scheduled minutes had now become almost nine and security were noticeably relieved when Her Majesty eventually left the tent and inspected the Amesbury Mosaic” said Andy, who served as mayor from 2011-2012.

“Throughout the whole occasion Her Majesty was fully engaged, asking many questions and sharing humorous responses with everyone, it was an absolute pleasure and will be a lifetime achievement I will never forget.”

In reflecting on the passing of Her Majesty Andy said: “Whether a royalist or not, the World will remember this moment in time, as we say goodbye to the most stoic, indomitable, dedicated and respected World leader that ever lived. May she rest in peace and may God Save the King”