People cheered and applauded as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip walked into the Upper Barrakka Gardens yesterday afternoon to meet couples among whom were those, like them, who were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.

Wearing a lilac coat, paired with patent leather shoes and handbag, the Queen smiled at the crowds, giving her signature wave, before walking through the fjakkoli-lit passageways of the Barrakka.

Four-year-old Eliza had been waiting for a couple of hours with a bouquet of flowers in her hands, ready to hand them to the Queen.

Jill Moss, from Leeds, clicked away, taking plenty of photos of the Royal couple.

Standing behind the barriers, just feet away from where the Queen had just passed, Ms Moss admitted to never having seen her so close.

"In London you have to queue for hours to even get a glimpse of the Queen," Mac Barber, also from Leeds, told The Times.

"We love the Queen," said Mr Barber, a self-confessed Royal follower.

John Barker from Yorkshire who is married to a Maltese, said he was doing his "patriotic duty" by going to see the Queen.

Inside, Katie and Frank Galea, who will celebrate their 60th anniversary on Friday, were eagerly waiting for their short encounter with the Queen. "You need to be very patient," Mrs Galea said when asked for the secret ingredient to making a marriage work for so long.

Lawrence and Helen Ellul agreed. "You need to be very patient. It is not easy for two people to meet up and get on well together," Mr Ellul said.

Maria and Manwel Cortis, who celebrated their diamond anniversary last May, also had some precious advice. "Both partners need to be loyal, not contradict each other too much and bow their heads to each other," Mr Cortis said with a smile.

Advice that Joseph Diacono and Louanne Buttigieg, who will tie the knot on Friday and who were among others selected to meet the Royal couple, will be keeping in mind. "The first thing that crossed my mind on seeing all these couples who have been married for so long is how do they manage to make it work," Mr Diacono said. His fiancée said today one hears of so many marriages breaking up that it is amazing when one lasts for so long.

After meeting the 30 couples, Queen Elizabeth planted a tree, whose plaque refers to her diamond wedding anniversary, before walking out to her car, which was waiting near Auberge de Castille. As she made her way with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and his wife Kate, she stopped to talk to a few people who lined the street to get a glimpse of her.

But most of them had their view blocked by some cameramen who surrounded the Royal couple, even blocking the view of their progress from the rest of the media's lenses. In fact, there was mayhem when the Queen approached the media stand near Castille, with some journalists breaking out of the enclosure and surrounding the Queen in a final attempt to get a shot before she got into her car.

The Royal couple lived in Malta for a short period after they got married on November 20, 1947.

They were here yesterday for a 12-hour stay on their way to Uganda, where the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will be held this weekend. They leave the island this morning.

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