Aled Jones The Day I Met the Queen

90 years ago, our longest-serving monarch,

Queen Elizabeth II, was born.

Since then, millions of us have met her

and many have got close.

You are having a good old stare at the Queen, aren't you?

Oh, yes, we are. I had a good view of her.

But how well do we know her?

She is on our stamps and she's on our coins

and she's in our hearts.

And how well does she know us?

-She gave me a puppy, which was very nice.

-Oh, right.

'This is Her Majesty as you have never seen her before.'

Good Queen hair you've got going on there.

I was completely paralysed as this amazing icon walked over my gangway.

A people's portrait of the Queen.

She wasn't there doing her job.

She was there because she was genuinely concerned.

This is the main workshop now, then, is it, here?

In this series, it's handbags at dawn for John Craven.

-What's...? It's obviously leather...

-Ah-ah-ah.

-Oop! Can I not touch it?

Aw! Look at them!

Carol Kirkwood meets a pint-sized pony who munched on Her Majesty.

No, bless him. Did the Queen think it was funny?

She thought it was hilarious.

She knows Shetlands, so she knows they've got a mind of their own.

As for me, well, I'm going to be talking to people

with amazing tales of meeting Her Majesty the Queen

in a place that's very dear to my heart.

So where am I?

Well, it's a beautiful part of the world,

stunning views, spectacular castles, and...

Dare I say it? HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

Fabulous singers. It is, of course, my homeland - Wales.

What do you think about this - good way to travel?

I'd say so.

It's how the Queen arrived here in Caernarfon 45 years ago

for a very special occasion,

but more on that later.

This is a genuine landau carriage.

Basically, for you and me, it means a convertible.

Wherever she goes, crowds, of course, gather,

and it's important for her to be seen by the crowds.

Let me tell you now, there's no way of being incognito

when you're in this thing. Everyone stares at you.

-Hi!

-Hello!

It's not quite the turnout the Queen gets,

but, you know, I could get used to this.

That lady just said, "There's a Queen in the carriage."

I don't know what she means(!)

The Welsh people got their very first glimpse

of the newly-appointed Queen in 1952

when she opened a dam in Claerwen, South Wales.

Now then, I've been very fortunate

to sing for the Queen on many occasions,

but I'm hoping that by talking to other Welsh people who have met her

I'll get a more rounded idea of what she's actually like as a person.

I'm also dying to find out why she's got this special relationship

with my country.

I think the Queen's doing amazing

to be still doing what she's done at 90.

Yeah, she looks really good for her age.

I certainly think she's saved the monarchy.

I think she looks fantastic. She's always decked out really well.

She looks really polished.

It's something to look up to and inspire people.

I think she's done marvellous, really.

Happy 90th birthday, Your Majesty.

Very, very happy birthday, Your Majesty.

I think you're absolutely wonderful. She's kept herself fit.

Keep going as long as you can,

you've still got a few more years to go.

As Britain's longest-serving monarch,

the Queen has clocked up countless visits to Wales.

-REPORTER:

-'Among the hills and valleys of Wales,

'the Royal travellers were to find many welcomes.'

Over the years, she's joined us for our famous Eisteddfod festivals.

We've sung to her, obviously.

We've even shouted for her.

-CHANTING:

-We want the Queen, yeah! We want the Queen, yeah!

From Barry to Bangor, whether by royal train, plane or yacht,

Her Majesty has always enjoyed a very warm "Croeso y Cymru".

'And now a great moment for a small girl -

'four-and-a-half year old Margaret Ellis presented a bouquet.'

But the Queen's not just there for the good times.

She also supports our nation during its darkest moments.

Well, mountains all over Wales,

but these are the mountains of South Wales.

We're down in the Valleys.

It's a really great part of the world.

Absolutely amazing. Lots of choirs.

Lots of really close-knit communities as well -

people really look out for one another.

Nowhere more so than one village here in the Taff Valley.

50 years ago, its name became known to the world.

It would gain a very special place in the Queen's heart.

She returned here again and again.

Disaster struck here in Aberfan on 21st October, 1966...

..when a huge pile of coal waste slid down from the hills,

engulfing the junior school.

'Parents and teachers join police, firemen,

'civil defence workers and mine rescue teams at the school.

'Some of the helpers tore at the rubble with bare hands

'in their desperate efforts to get at the children.'

And this is where Pantglas Junior School was -

here one minute, gone the next -

as half a million tonnes of slurry demolished it.

It was a terrible, terrible tragedy.

116 children, aged 7 and 8, lost their lives.

Bless their hearts.

'Jeff Edwards remembers it vividly.

'He was just eight years old when he arrived for school

'on that dreadful day.'

Where was your classroom?

-This was my classroom here.

-Right.

We went in into the classroom.

The teacher then was starting a mathematics lesson,

and there was this roaring sound.

The lights started to shake and the teacher said to us,

reassuring us, really, "Don't worry, it's only thunder."

That noise got noisier and noisier, and then, next thing I remember

was waking up with all this tip material all over me.

It took just five minutes for the deadly landslide

to sweep down from the hills and bury the school.

The roof had collapsed on top of me.

I was fortunate, because that actually saved me.

It provided me with a pocket of air that enabled me to breathe.

I tried to get out, there was all these screams and shouts,

but those screams and shouts got less and less as time went on,

because obviously people were dying because of the lack of air.

In the end, I heard the fireman shout to me,

basically saying, "There's a boy with white hair down here."

They started to dig around me.

I was the last one to come out alive.

It took a week to recover all the bodies.

How hard has it been for you to cope with the fact

that you survived and so many didn't?

It's been very difficult. Guilt is the main issue, really.

You feel guilty that you've survived and others hadn't.

That's a huge thing that is difficult to come to terms with.

-Even now?

-Even now.

One minute we were all happy kids going to school,

and...we then had no friends.

All my friends were destroyed in the disaster.

Out of my class, only four of us survived,

so it was a huge impact, really.

We had to grow up very, very quickly.

-50 years have gone on, but we don't forget.

-No.

I can't forget, and what happened to us will be with me until I die.

Wow, what an honour to meet Jeff. What a brave man he is.

You can tell that, 50 years on, the events of Aberfan

still haunt him greatly,

but, my goodness me, who can blame him for showing emotion?

I would. I know that.

I can't think of anything worse as a parent than losing your kids.

You think they are going to be safe when they go to school, don't you?

One week later, the Queen visited the stricken village.

Mary, how are you? Lovely to see you.

'Mary Morris, whose daughter survived the disaster

'by climbing out of one of the school windows,

'was among the hundreds of villagers

'who lined the street for the Queen's visit.'

I definitely recognise the Queen in this photo,

but I think I recognise somebody else.

Yes, that's myself, yes, that's myself.

You're having a good old stare at the Queen, aren't you?

Yes, we are. I had a good view of her.

-She did speak to us.

-What did she say?

She said, you know, "I'm sorry,

"it's a terrible thing that's happened. How do you all feel?"

-We were numbed, weren't we?

-Of course.

I don't think it sunk in, really, what had really happened,

because when I relate it today,

people can't believe that, you know, that happened, you see?

She seems to care a lot about what happened here...

Oh, she does. She's very... Yes, she does.

She just seemed an ordinary... A mother and an ordinary woman.

-Yeah.

-You know? We didn't think of her as royalty.

Many of the children who died

were the same age as the Queen's son, Prince Andrew.

Aberfan left her deeply moved as a Queen and a mother.

She returned to the village four times.

And in 1973, she opened a new community centre.

-QUEEN:

-This centre looks to the future.

It stands as a symbol of the determination

that out of the disaster should come a richer and a fuller life.

This was also when Jeff Edwards met the Queen for the first time -

the first of many meetings.

Obviously, I was still a youngster then. 12, 13 years of age.

We were fascinated by the big Rolls-Royce that turned up...

Of course you were.

..with George and the dragon on the front, really.

On her third visit in 1997,

she planted a tree in the memorial garden,

which stands to this day.

On that same visit, Jeff met the Queen again,

which led to a special gift.

She said, "Well, what are you doing now?"

I'd come back from London and opened a community project for young people

who would have traditionally gone into the mining industry,

but with the colliery closing, were basically unemployed,

and consequently turned to alcohol and crime

to alleviate their boredom, really.

A couple of weeks later, I had a call from Buckingham Palace.

He said, "Her Majesty would like to make a personal donation

-"to your project."

-Goodness me. How did you feel?

Well, we were absolutely over the moon, really.

Why do you think she cares so much about this place?

I think probably because she's a parent herself,

because it was early in her reign that this happened,

and it was probably one of the most tragic incidents that happened

-during her reign...

-Yeah.

And, obviously, like many people who come from all over the world

still to Aberfan these days, is that they want to pay their respects.

In 2012, the Queen made perhaps her most poignant return,

to open a new primary school.

Alongside Jeff,

head teacher Simone Roden was also there to greet Her Majesty.

It was an exciting day.

Exciting for staff, pupils, governors, parents,

the whole community. It was fantastic.

She made a promise to the people of Aberfan,

and she said, "Build your new school and I will come back and open it,"

and clearly she did that. She is a lady of her word.

And as soon as the school was open, in no time at all,

she was invited down, she accepted the invitation

and she arrived in all her glory.

Capturing some of that Queenly glory...

Hi, guys, how are you?

All right? Nice to see you, Mr Burns.

'..some budding Michelangelos from Mr Burns' class.'

Good Queen hair you've got going on there!

-Did any of you meet the Queen when she came?

-Yes.

-Yes.

What was she like?

-She was really nice.

-Really nice?

-Were you scared about meeting her?

-Yes.

-Were you? Were you nervous?

I was nervous the first time I met her. My legs were shaking like that.

She came in a big car and she left in a red helicopter.

Yeah, that's the way to travel! Are you jealous?

You're quick.

Are you done as well? Good work.

Yours looks like your teacher!

ALED LAUGHS

It does look a little bit like your teacher!

If Mr Burns was King of England,

then that would be a brilliant, brilliant drawing.

ALL LAUGH

-Would you like to meet her again in the future?

-Maybe.

Since I was born on her birthday.

-Oh, were you? April the...

-21st.

-21st.

-But you're not 89.

-No!

-No!

But she's going to be 90, and do you know how many things she does

-every week, how many engagements, like coming to this school?

-No.

Five every week.

At the age of 90. That's amazing, isn't it?

She should be at home watching EastEnders with her feet up

eating chocolates.

Before I leave in my helicopter...

I haven't got a helicopter, have I? No.

..what would you like to say to the Queen? Go on.

Happy 90th birthday, Your Majesty!

What a happy and vibrant place that is.

And how brilliant that something so positive as this school

has been born out of something so dark and tragic.

I reckon with this building at the heart of this community,

Aberfan's future is a very, very bright one.

We Welsh have plenty of tales of special moments shared with

the Queen, as rugby fan Lyn Evans fondly remembers.

I actually met the Queen the first time in November 1980.

It was the centenary of the Welsh Rugby union.

I grabbed my old Polaroid camera, took it with me

and stood against a barrier just outside the City Hall.

The Queen's car pulled up and I took a photograph of her arrival.

And as she came towards me, I offered her the photograph

I had taken and she said, "Would you like to keep it?" and I said,

"No, ma'am, I'd like you to have it," and I remembered the "ma'am".

I said, "No, I'd like you to have it,

"but if you stand still long enough, I will take another one."

And she stood still for me to take a picture.

Unfortunately, the picture was very blurred

and the only picture I could get was of her and Prince Philip

leaving City Hall in the car and that was blurred as well.

But it left me with a nice memory!

Now, talking of memories,

I've a cracking tale to tell about the first time I met the Queen.

But first, we have to go back 36 years.

I tell you what, I really love this place. It's Bangor Cathedral.

It's where I learned my craft.

I was here as a chorister from the age of nine to 11.

That means services on a Tuesday, on a Thursday,

rehearsals on a Friday and Saturday, two services on a Sunday.

I was really, really happy here

but I have no idea the old warbling would lead to royal meetings.

Who'd have thought?

CHORAL SINGING

Well, this takes me back. Hasn't changed a bit.

I remember when I first walked in here as a young kid, I thought

this was the biggest building in the whole world.

I had never seen anything like it. And the smell...

It's still the same.

Back then I thought it was history in the walls of the place

making it smell like this and I remember being really disappointed

when someone said it was the oil radiator heating up the cathedral!

It's still there. My goodness me, it takes me back.

This was my spot as a chorister for four years in Bangor cathedral.

I was probably about this tall, truth be known.

But without the hours of practice and singing I put in here,

I think the first meeting with the Queen I had

would have been a complete nightmare.

It was a bit of a nightmare anyway.

I had been asked by Andrew Lloyd Webber to close the first half

of a Royal Gala performance in Edinburgh.

But my performance in front of Her Majesty

didn't quite go according to plan.

It was the biggest concert I had ever done in my life.

Mum and Dad were excited as well.

On the bill were people like Shirley Bassey, Linda Evans from Dynasty,

it was huge, about 200 acts.

Aled Jones.

My job was to sing that Lloyd Webber classic,

Memory, only I had to sing it from memory

because on the night, I wasn't allowed to use the score.

# Midnight

# Not a sound from the pavement

# Has the moon lost her memory?

# She is smiling alone... #

And then, in between the first verse and the second verse, it goes,

"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding."

On the second, "ding, ding, ding" - I looked down the whole hall

and I saw an exit sign in red with the "E" flickering a little bit

and I thought to myself, "I haven't got a clue what's coming next."

I'd forgotten the words.

And I had two-and-a-half seconds to think of something.

# Memory all alone in the moonlight...

# I can hear the... # HE AD-LIBS

'Thankfully, I came up with some words of my own.'

I said something like, "Memory, I can hear the choir singing,

"they are singing alone."

"I can hear them singing beautiful songs and the memory lingers on."

Finally, legs shaking, dry mouth, looking terrified,

I went back to the normal words for verses three, four and five.

I feel sick telling the story now.

# I can hear them, the choir singing beautiful songs... #

'As you can imagine, I finished the performance, everyone was lovely,'

everyone bar Rory Bremner. He came bounding up to me

at the side of the stage and went, "You were singing Memory -

"you don't have one!"

As you can imagine, that went down really, really well.

And my recurring nightmare throughout my childhood

and no word of a lie, bolt upright in the dark of night,

would be, what would have happened if I hadn't made the words up?

And in my nightmare, what I do is look up at the Queen

and Prince Philip who are just there in the Royal Box and I go,

"I'm really sorry, Your Majesty!" and run off stage crying

never to be heard of again as she shouts, "To the tower with him!"

# Daylight I must wait for... #

'At the end of those Royal Variety-type concerts,

'there is always a line-up where you meet the Queen.'

She put her arm out and shook my hand, I was so scared.

I was so nervous, shaking like mad and she said,

"You have a beautiful voice. Well done.

"I really enjoyed your interpretation, and good luck in the future."

Phew! Thank God.

After that, if ever I saw her on television

until I met her again, I always thought of her as like my gran or something,

because she put me instantly at ease.

I have sung for her now loads of times and she is always charming,

always interested in what you do and you think to yourself,

"How many people must she meet a day?" It is just phenomenal.

Amazing, amazing woman.

Her Majesty has a gift for putting us all at ease on big occasions.

A gift she extends to her own family.

Here at Caernarvon Castle, 45 years ago,

the Queen helped her young son Charles through a very grand event.

The day she formally made him the Prince of Wales.

Right then, here's a bit of history for you.

Edward II was the first English prince to hold the title

the Prince of Wales. That was way back in 1301.

I got thinking, maybe it is that link with ancient royal history

that makes Wales such a special place for the Queen.

HORNS PLAY FANFARE

The Prince of Wales' investiture,

the ancient ritual dating back to the 14th century,

was conducted with full pomp and ceremony.

It was watched by millions on TV,

with 4,000 lucky people inside the castle.

-COMMENTATOR:

-The symbol of sovereignty.

'Ann Bond had one of the best seats in the house.

'but she had to sing for it.'

Lovely to see you, thanks so much for meeting me. How are you?

-I'm fine.

-Freezing cold.

-Freezing cold!

-This is the scene of your performing triumph.

-Absolutely, yes.

It is just absolutely incredible.

I used some of the memorabilia that I've got to place the chair

-exactly where I was.

-This is where you were.

This is actually where I was sitting.

So, tell me, what was your involvement in the whole thing?

Well, as part of the choir, we had been rehearsing

from the February through to the July.

So what we have got here is some of the footage of the choir itself.

Look at that!

-There I am.

-With the specs? That's you?

-With the specs.

-No way. You haven't changed a bit!

Oh, I love you!

16-year-old Ann Bond was one of 200 choristers

lending an enthusiastic Welsh voice to the momentous occasion.

Set the scene for me now. You're sitting here. Where was the Queen?

There. On the dais there.

So, the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and obviously Prince Charles were there.

You were dead close, weren't you? Touching distance.

When we saw how close we were, we actually couldn't believe it.

We thought we would be tucked away somewhere.

How do you feel looking at that?

-God! You look across, it doesn't seem real.

-It's amazing!

-It doesn't get bigger than that, does it?

-No, honestly, it doesn't.

-COMMENTATOR:

-The gold ring, symbol of unity.

Because the family themselves were there,

-you could see that there were little glances of encouragement.

-Really?!

-We were close enough to be able to see that sort of thing.

-Amazing!

You just got the feeling all the time that she was...

trying to give him strength and confidence to reassure him

that everything was fine and it was going well.

And you could see these looks,

the sort of looks that a mum gives a child to say,

"You're doing OK," you know.

-"So far, so good."

-And it was just the way, it was mother...

It was very much mother and son in that moment.

It was as if everything went completely quiet.

It was very moving at the time, actually.

It was an emotional moment for the young prince and his mum.

Meanwhile, the choir were doing their bit for Queen and country too.

This is the folder that they gave us with the music.

-All handwritten.

-It was all handwritten.

That's amazing.

I'm impressed because you are not like the typical chorister

that would doodle and write messages to their mates and stuff on it.

You have kept it, it's pristine.

-I suppose it was quite a big event.

-It was a bit, yes!

-What part were you, soprano?

-I sang alto.

-Alto, OK.

Back in those years, I could sing anything from soprano down to tenor.

-You're just showing off now!

-I haven't got the range any more.

Not any more!

Shall we go back 46 years and have a go? You were about here.

Go on, then.

I was going to say I'll play Her Majesty

but I will just hold this massive score before you get blown off.

Go on, then. You start.

TOGETHER: # Among our ancient mountains

# And from our lovely vales

# Oh! Let the prayer be echoed

# God bless the Prince of Wales! #

Now I know why you got the job. What a great singer you are.

-I enjoyed that.

-That was great! I can say I sang with Aled Jones.

I can say I sang with you!

Unfortunately, Her Majesty wasn't here...

or maybe fortunate Her Majesty wasn't here to listen to us!

Yes, absolutely!

# Among our ancient mountains... #

What great memories from Ann.

She was clearly moved by seeing Her Majesty being every bit a mum

as much as a Head of State.

And that footage of the young prince having to perform

with the eyes of the world on him really takes me back.

30 years ago, I was a young boy soprano growing up on Anglesey

just ten miles from Caernarvon.

And there it is in all its glory.

My old school, David Hughes comprehensive.

About 1,000 pupils or something like that.

None of them really knowing what I got up to at weekends.

That's the way I liked it.

But in 1985, my cover was blown by a documentary crew.

YOUNG ALED: I keep my schooling and singing very separate

because I get teased quite a lot at school,

and when you wear a cassock and frill and sing in a high voice,

it's just something you keep from your other mates!

'By the time Walking In The Air came about, I was about 14-and-a-half,

'so, as you can imagine, every 11, 12 and 13-year-old,'

every break time, would go, "It's Aled Jones!"

# Walking in the air! #

It's really funny for the first 500 times,

but after about 5,000 times,

you just want to run out of that school and never go back.

# I'm finding I can fly so high above with you... #

YOUNG ALED: If my voice would have broken when I was 12, 13 years old

when other boys' voices break, none of this would have happened to me.

I would just be a normal, plain ordinary boy.

'And of course, I would never have met the Queen.

'Let alone sung for her.'

As a family,

we would sit down and listen to the Queen's message at Christmas

but other than that, being in this part of the world,

you didn't really know much about the royal family.

Um, except what you maybe saw on television.

I remember going to Caernarvon as a youngster

because I think Prince Charles was making a visit,

and I remember standing on a lamppost, on my friend's shoulders

just so we could see a glimpse of his car as it drove past.

But unfortunately about 10,000 other people had the same idea

so all I saw was an exhaust or something like that!

There are some folk who have made it their life's ambition to meet

the Queen not just once but hundreds of times.

Yes, the Queen has her groupies -

superfans who follow her across the country.

And here in Ruthin, Denbighshire,

I think I've tracked down Wales's number one fan.

My goodness me.

Welcome to my home.

-Thank you. You like the Queen, don't you?

-My Royal Museum.

My goodness me, so much stuff here.

Amateur photographer Colin Edwards

has been an avid Queen-spotter

since watching her coronation as a small boy

on the family's first telly.

Over 30 years, he's travelled thousands of miles,

tracking Royal visits and snapping over 6,000 photos of Her Majesty.

A lot of the photos I see,

the Queen is looking like I don't normally see her, you know?

Well, she's a monarch in lots of the photos,

whereas you've got more of a sort of personal side to her.

I think, people like myself, we're called Royal-watchers,

and we stand for ages waiting to see her and we get our photographs,

-and they're a bit more candid and informal.

-Yeah.

We capture her informality

-more than the official press photographers.

-It's lovely.

She always comes and speaks to us, she's very relaxed.

Has she ever said, "Colin, not today, I'm having a bad hair day!"?

No, she hasn't said that yet.

She never has a bad hair day, that's why!

-But she doesn't call me Colin.

-Right.

-It's protocol.

Diana always called me Colin, she was very informal,

but the Queen never, ever gives people their name.

-Have you got any photos that I can see?

-Yes, of course.

-There's one - that's a great one.

-Well...

I tell you what, that's got to be the closest photo of the Queen

I've ever seen in my life, look at that!

It's practically this close.

That's brilliant. Any more?

Yes, of course.

I ask him, "Any more?" He's got 6,000 to get through.

Sit down, we could be some time.

You'll be here all day if you want to see them all!

-This is just a small selection.

-Right.

That was the Queen outside Westminster Abbey in 1997.

I love these. This is a side of her we never see in the papers.

This wonderful smile again.

She's got a wonderful smile, very infectious.

And very spontaneous, too.

You know, she's...

The Queen isn't an actress. She's her own true self.

This is brilliant, this one! Look at that!

That was in 1992, taken in Wakefield, in Yorkshire.

The character she's got in all these photos is really great.

She's got beautiful blue eyes.

-She looks very animated.

-I was about to say, she looks so alive.

-Yes.

There was an occasion in the late 1980s

when she was just getting to know me...

It was in Burnley in Lancashire, and I do remember this well.

I'd waited quite a long time with a friend to see her.

She came along, did her walkabout, and she was about to walk away,

and I said, "Your Majesty,

"could I take another photograph of you, please,

"because I may not see you again for some time?"

And she said, "Oh, I'm not so sure about that,

"because you turn up everywhere!"

THEY LAUGH

I sang on the Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey.

At the end of it, we were all in a room

waiting to meet Her Majesty the Queen.

She went, "By the way, my husband loves your radio show."

I was like, "OK." So up he came and I said to him,

"Oh, your wife tells me you listen to my radio show."

He said, "Rubbish! Rubbish!"

"The only person I listen to is that cheeky little Welsh chappie."

-And I went, "That's me! That's me."

-What a wonderful story.

So the next Sunday, I said, "If you're listening, ma'am,

"this is for you," and I played her a nice bit of Elgar.

MUSIC: Nimrod from Enigma Variations by Elgar

I love Colin - isn't he such a great guy?

And what commitment he's shown Her Majesty over the years.

Incredible! 6,000 photos of the royal family,

and you see a side in his photos

that you don't normally see in the press. Look at that!

Every person in Britain should see Her Majesty like that.

Full of life, full of love, absolutely brilliant.

And also I'm so pleased that he reaffirmed

what I...thought I knew, anyway,

the fact that she likes having a laugh,

just like the rest of us. Good on Her Majesty.

And Her Majesty's sense of humour

hasn't gone unnoticed by the Welsh.

Hwyel Roberts met her in 2010.

One of the people I introduced was a man called Will Williams

from Caernarfon, and he's a Ricky Tomlinson lookalike.

So I introduced him to the Queen,

I explained that he was a lookalike for a famous TV actor,

and I said, "He appears in a programme called The Royle Family."

And she said, "Oh, is it about a man in a vest sitting on a settee?"

And then Will said, "Oh, you watch it, Your Majesty?"

And she very quickly said, "I've seen it...once."

THEY LAUGH

If she watches The Royle Family, she's obviously watching this.

So have you got a message for Her Majesty?

Well, I wish Your Majesty a very happy birthday -

Penblwydd hapus iawn! -

-from the Royal town of Caernarfon.

-In Welsh and English!

Well, if there's one thing I'm hearing, it's that Her Majesty

is happy to chew the fat with people from all walks of life.

The Queen is so familiar to us, isn't she?

We all carry a picture of her in our pockets everywhere we go.

But do you know where every single one of these coins is made?

Right here in Wales.

The Land of my Fathers has been home to the Royal Mint since 1968,

and we Welsh are dead proud that we look after the Queen's cash.

The Queen opened the new Royal Mint near Cardiff.

It was built to carry out the huge task of replacing our currency

from old money to the new decimal coinage.

2,000 million new coins had to be made.

Nearly 50 years on, and there's a new coin hot off the press.

Royal Mint Museum curator Graham Dyer

is giving us a sneaky peek.

We've just issued a new coin

to commemorate the 90th birthday of the Queen.

And here it is - showing the royal cypher

and those magic figures "90" within a rather nice wreath.

As Britain's longest-serving monarch,

Her Majesty's portrait on our coins

has changed over her 64-year reign.

What we have on the table are the five basic portraits

of the Queen, as we've travelled on this journey

from 1952 until today.

A competition is held each time the Queen's portrait is updated.

Entries in the form of plaster models

are judged by a special panel.

Our understanding is that the Queen is very relaxed

about the way the portraits have shown her

gently ageing with the years.

We were perhaps a little concerned

when the Rank-Broadley portrait was done,

that she might think it was... unduly realistic,

but she had no problem with it at all.

It's interesting when you look at the last of the portraits,

the fifth portrait, where there's the hint of a smile

and you can almost sense the Queen's satisfaction

at a job well done.

We've now had five portraits of the Queen.

She looks in remarkably good health.

Whether it will stretch to a sixth portrait, I don't know.

Whether I will stretch and be around for a sixth portrait, I don't know!

Well, if we do get portrait number six,

I know who I'd get to design it -

are you watching, Mr Burns' class in Abervan?

So far on my travels, I've heard a lot about

how much the Queen has done for Wales as a country,

and the people of Wales. But I'm on my way to meet

a very special person who's done quite a bit for the Queen, actually.

Corgis - as Welsh as leeks, lovespoons

and Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerych- wyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch,

the town with the really long name.

They've been the Queen's constant companion for over 70 years.

Here, come on.

And one woman in South Wales has played a big part

in keeping that tradition alive.

-Mary, how lovely to see you. How are you?

-Very well, thank you.

'Mary Davies has been breeding corgis for over 30 years,

'even winning Best of Breed at Crufts.'

How come the Queen came into your life, then?

How did that all come about?

Well, in 1992, so it's quite a long time ago,

she used one of my stud dogs and had a litter.

OK. How did you feel, though? What an honour!

Oh, yeah, we were very proud.

My husband was, too, and my mother, she thought it was wonderful.

I think it's wonderful! I really do.

So what was it like when you first met her?

-A bit daunting.

-Was it?

-Oh, yes, but at the same time,

she made you feel very much at ease,

she was very easy to talk to,

once you'd got over the first few nerves.

So do you get any perks by being breeder to the Queen?

-She gave me a puppy, which was very nice.

-How gorgeous!

-Yes!

She was called Quiz.

-Right.

-She was a lovely dog.

And here's Her Majesty catching up with Mary and Quiz

at her Golden Jubilee in 2002.

She just asked me who the dogs were,

and she was very interested to know that this was Quiz,

she made a great fuss of her.

How hands-on is she with her corgis?

Oh, very much so. I mean, one time when I saw her,

she was just wearing a mac and boots and headscarf

and she bundled them all in the back of her car.

Or even the back of her plane.

Her Majesty has owned over 30 corgis during her reign.

Her husband, Prince Philip, calls them her "dog mechanism" -

her way of relaxing.

It's obvious you love your dogs - they're immaculate.

-The Queen really loves her animals, doesn't she?

-Oh, she does.

She even took one on honeymoon with her.

-One what? A corgi?

-A corgi, yes!

-No!

-Yes, a corgi called Susan.

So Susan went on honeymoon with Her Majesty the Queen

-and the Duke of Edinburgh?

-That's right.

Wonder how he felt about that?!

Probably jealous.

Shall we carry on? They're itching to go, aren't they?

Come on!

'I never knew the Queen's corgis came from Pembrokeshire in Wales.

'I shouldn't be surprised.'

All the best things come from Wales, after all!

And in the few moments that I spent with Mary's corgis,

I can see why she loves them.

They're charming, playful. I want one for myself now.

Her Majesty has reigned for 64 years,

hosted garden parties for over a million people

and awarded 150,000 honours.

With her tenth decade fast approaching,

there are few signs of her slowing down.

I'm nearly at the end of our People's Portrait

of Her Majesty in Wales,

but there's one special lady you still have to meet.

90-year-old Hilda Price was born on 21st April 1926 -

the same day as the Queen.

Oh, I've loved her to death.

She's absolutely wonderful.

I'll sit here often and see where she is and what she's doing

and I think, "I don't think I could do that!"

But she always looks as if she's enjoying everything,

so I really admire her.

Every year, she sends the Queen a birthday card.

"Wishing you many happy returns of the day.

"From your twin, Hilda A Price."

Hilda's met Her Majesty several times.

Each time I've felt that... she's so normal, can I say?

Like one of us when she speaks to us.

And I think that's a real gift,

because she's far away from us, really.

In 2006, Hilda was invited to celebrate her 80th birthday

alongside Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace.

It was such a wonderful feeling to be sitting there,

seeing the Duke of Edinburgh sitting by her,

and we were on almost the next table to them.

I was lucky enough to have a photo taken with her

and it went into the Hello! magazine.

Oh, we had a beautiful time there.

She spoke to us very well,

and we got to know people there

and we were allowed to go round the palace.

Wishing you a very happy 90th birthday, ma'am.

And wishing us both good health.

You know, in the few encounters I've had with Her Majesty the Queen

I've definitely witnessed her personal side,

but what's made a massive impact on me

on my trip around the whole of Wales

is just how caring she has been to the Welsh people.

Whether it's recognising hard-working individuals,

or showing parental love and support

to a whole community who lost so much,

she's got that magic touch, I suppose,

that makes everyone who comes into contact with her

feel really, really special.

And it's made me realise how lucky we are to have her.