By Daily Mail Reporter



Blessing: Bewildered bride Frances Canning manages a curtsey after the Queen unexpectedly drops in at her wedding

A delighted couple have told how their wedding day was given the royal seal of approval when the Queen walked in on the ceremony.

John and Frances Canning could hardly believe their eyes when her Majesty accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh walked into the room moments after they had tied the knot at Manchester Town Hall.

The royal couple had been attending a lunch with 200 local volunteers in an adjacent room, and the Queen had asked if she could pop in to congratulate the bride and groom.

Surprise: The royal couple were having lunch with 200 local volunteers in an adjacent room when the Queen heard about the ceremony and asked if she could meet the bride and groom

The Queen and the Duke then spent about five minutes talking to the newlyweds and even agreed to pose for a few photographs.

Delighted bride Frances said 'It was bizarre that she knew our names. She said: "Hello John, Hello Frances".

Around 40 guests watched in amazement as the Queen, Prince Philip, and several royal dignitaries lined up to congratulate the couple.

Groom John, 48, from Prestwich, a big fan of the royal family, described the Queen's visit as the 'icing on the cake'.

He said: 'She commented on how beautiful Frances looked in her dress and wished us all the best for the future.

Businessman John chatted with the Duke while Frances posed with the Queen for a few photos.

He added: 'He was lovely man. He even asked where in Italy we were going on our honey moon.'

The couple had booked the town hall for their civil wedding last year and were told they would be sharing the venue with an 'V.I.P.'.

When they discovered who it was Mr Canning, jokingly wrote to Buckingham Palace to invite the them to the celebration, but had received a reply politely declining the offer.

But the Palace decided to make their dream come true and got in contact with Manchester City Council to arrange the surprise.

Frances told the Manchester Evening News: 'We never dreamt we would be able to meet her.

'When we had our ceremony, the staff asked us to wait for a moment in the corridor and just a few minutes later the Queen arrived.

'She knew both our names and apparently we had been especially added to her rota.'

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in November last year.

They wed at Westminster Abbey in 1947 with the ceremony broadcast by BBC radio to 200 million people around the world.

During her day in Manchester and Salford the Queen visited four hospitals and toured the BBC's new headquarters at MediaCityUK.


Stunned: Frances and John had been told the Queen would be in the same building but never dreamt they would get to meet her


Bride to be: Frances arrives at the venue earlier in the day completely unaware who would be turning up


source:dailymail