Platinum Jubilee: People who met Queen Elizabeth talk of their memories

As the nation prepares to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, people across the South East have been recalling the times they met her.

Jubilee fever is in full swing across the South East - with councils across the region receiving 1,891 requests for road closures so street parties can be held.

During her 70-year reign the Queen has often visited Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

We asked people across the region for their memories of their special day.

A former Hercules pilot in the RAF, Patrick Tootal has met the Queen three times.

He met her when he was awarded the OBE for his work evacuating foreign nationals after the Iranian revolution, during a Royal visit to Spain in 1988, and at the opening of a new wing of the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne near Folkestone in 2015.

"She is marvellous," he said.

"A great smile, such a nice person to meet. For those few seconds you're in front of her you feel that she's the only one engaging with you.

"On the day Her Majesty arrived [at the Battle of Britain Memorial] I was handed over to give a big description, and of course highlight that her mother had opened the memorial in '93."

The Queen has made several official visits to Canterbury Cathedral, and none would have been complete without the presentation of a bouquet of flowers from a child.

Naomi was eight when she took on the role.

"I just know the importance of the Queen for the United Kingdom, and the role she plays in our society," she said.

Eme was even younger at just four years old, when she presented Her Majesty with flowers during a 2015 visit to the Cathedral to unveil statues of the Queen and Prince Philip.

She said: "It's not every day you get to meet the Queen, so it was quite exciting."

Jo Thompson is an award-winning landscape gardener from Flimwell in East Sussex.

She has won four Gold and five Silver Gilt medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and has met the Queen four times.

Three of those meetings were at Chelsea in 2014, 2015 and 2019, and once at the Royal British Legion Industries Village in Aylesford, Kent.

She said: "It's just one of those magical moments, that you meet this person who is an icon, a real icon.

"You feel as if you're bathed in this sparkly magic, there's this wonderful aura almost, as she looks at these gardens, has a think about them and then feeds back what she's thinking and asks you questions."

Tom Hart Dyke has a family connection to the Platinum Jubilee. His grandmother Lady Zoe Hart Dyke created the gown she wore at the Coronation.

Lullingstone Castle near Eynsford in Kent was the only silk farm in the country in 1953, having been set up by Lady Zoe in 1933.

"She really was under pressure," said Mr Hart Dyke. "She said she never felt her blood pressure go so high to make absolutely sure it was ready for the day."

Mr Hart Dyke, a renowned botanist, met the Queen himself at a Buckingham Palace reception in 2011.

He said: "I stood in front of her and she went, 'Hart Dyke? Lullingstone? I'll never forget that mad lady in that big house in Kent.'

"I said, 'Your Majesty, that was my granny'.

"She said, 'I know it was. Nice to meet you.' And off I went."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].