Woolwich attack: the Queen pays her respects to Drummer Lee Rigby on tour of barracks
The Queen paid her respects to Drummer Lee Rigby as she toured Woolwich Barracks, the former base of the murdered soldier.
On a long-organised visit, the monarch met soldiers and officers who knew the 25-year-old serviceman, who was hacked to death in the street by suspected Islamist terrorists in front of shocked passers-by last week.
However, Buckingham Palace did not change the Queen's schedule so she could view the mountain of flowers left outside Woolwich Barracks in South-East London in honour of Drummer Rigby.
The Queen privately met members of the recruiting team from the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers who worked with the murdered soldier at the Tower of London, where he formed part of an Army outreach team recruiting in schools.
She also talked to officers from his chain of command and some of those who coordinated the barracks' response to the horrifying tragedy.
It is not known how long the Queen chatted to the service personnel in the Sergeants' Mess, and those who met her were not made available to talk to journalists afterwards.
Ministry of Defence officials said they were worried about soldiers saying anything to the media about the killing that could be used for political purposes.
Buckingham Palace officials declined to say why the Queen would not be viewing the floral tributes or making any public gesture in tribute to Drummer Rigby.
A Royal spokesman said: "This is a long-standing engagement that has been in the diary for some time.
"Obviously, we were keen that it should go ahead as planned but given last week's events, we wanted to do something to mark them privately."
Some local people who turned out to see the Royal procession as it arrived at the barracks were disappointed that the Queen did not stop to look at the floral tributes for the murdered soldier.
Paula Hinde, 46, from Woolwich, said: "It would have been nice if she had laid some flowers."
However, she said she was pleased that the Queen did not cancel her visit following the atrocity, adding: "You can't change your plans whoever you are, I'm glad that she has come, it will mean a lot to the people here."
The Queen's visit to Woolwich was organised for her to tour the new home of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, a mounted, ceremonial unit that fires gun salutes on royal anniversaries and state occasions.
Baroness Thatcher's coffin was carried on a gun carriage from the King's Troop during her funeral last month, and on Monday the unit will fire a 41-gun royal salute from London's Green Park to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation.
On her arrival at the barracks, the Queen, wearing a pale mint coat and matching dress by Stewart Parvin, a Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat, and a King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery brooch, first met the families of the 169 servicemen and women in the troop, the Army's smallest regiment.
Not everybody was pleased to see her, however. Sgt Peter Pagan-Skelley and Emma Pagan-Skelley's 18-month-old son Ethan would not stop crying. "He's a troublesome one," the Queen joked.
The monarch presented Afghanistan operational medals to two members of the troop who returned from operational tours of Helmand Province in April, WO2 Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant Jeremy Faulkner, 36, from Minehead, Somerset, and Lance Bombardier Danielle Parker, 25, from Swadlincote, South Derbyshire.
WO2 Faulkner said: "It's something special to get it from the Queen."
The Queen then viewed chargers – as officers' horses are known – before going to the riding school, the harness room and the forge.
Inside one of the stables, the Queen was reunited with an old friend, Harlequin, a seven-year-old Cleveland Bay she donated to the regiment in 2010 because he was too small for pulling her carriages but an ideal size for pulling the troop's gun carriages.
The Queen renewed their acquaintance by giving Harlequin a polo mint.
Lance Bombardier Ryan Hodge, 21, who looks after the horse, said: "He likes mints. To be honest he'll eat anything. I've seen him eat a pair of tights."
Among the military veterans who attended an official reception for the Queen was Don Kay, 82, from Hayes, West London, who served with the Royal Artillery Regiment for 25 years and was based at Woolwich Barracks before becoming a Metropolitan Police officer.
He said: "You could see the appreciation for her visit amongst the people there, civilians and services alike."
Speaking of the murder of Drummer Rigby, he added: "It should never have been allowed to happen in this country. You think your soldiers are safe at home."
