“Gloomy skies failed to dampen a rip-roaring royal welcome that greeted the Queen as she arrived in Worcester today,” was the start of our front page story on Friday, November 10 1989.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh made a near four-hour visit to the city to pay tribute to the Queen’s Own Mercian Yeomanry, of which the Queen was Colonel-in-Chief, and to unveil a plaque to open new £350,000 workshops at the cathedral.

The Royal Train arrived at Shrub Hill station at 11.10am, where the Queen was quickly out of the blocks to unveil a British Rail locomotive renamed The Queen’s Own Mercian Yeomanry and inspect BR’s travelling post office.

The Royal cavalcade then travelled down Lowesmoor and City Walls Road to pass through Edgar Tower and on to College Green, where the Queen opened the new workshops for the £10million restoration operation on the Cathedral.

There followed a tour of the building before an invited audience of 1,500, said to represent “a cross section of city life”.

Lunch was then taken in the Guildhall with 200 special guests.

At 2.40pm it was back in the Royal car to drive down High Street, The Cross and Foregate Street to the Shirehall, where the Queen inspected a Guard of Honour on the forecourt before a private tea with members, families and old comrades of the QOMY.

At 3.45pm the Royal couple left Worcester to head back to London.