Queen beats cold to meet and

THE QUEEN joined the rest of the royals for the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham yesterday after recovering from a cold.

She missed Sunday’s service at her Norfolk home as she was “getting over the tail end of a cold”, Buckingham Palace said.

But yesterday she appeared cheerful as she arrived for the 11am service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate.

Wearing a turquoise coat dress and matching hat, she was wished a merry Christmas by about 1,000 wellwishers.

Following tradition, the Queen made the short journey from Sandringham House in a Bentley with princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

The Duke of Edinburgh (91), who missed last year’s service with a heart problem, walked the few hundred yards from the house to the church accompanied by the Duke of York and the Earl and the Countess of Wessex.

The Queen traditionally spends the festive period with her family gathered around her at her Norfolk estate.

But this year there will be some empty spaces around the table on Christmas Day.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are spending Christmas at the Middleton family home and Prince Harry is serving as an Apache pilot in Afghanistan.

As the family left the church, the Queen – wearing a dress by Peter Enrione and matching hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan – collected flowers and gifts, including a teddy bear, from a line of about 50 children.

Phoenix Stanford (8) and sister Evangeline (5), from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, wore Santa hats as they met the Queen.

Phoenix said: “The Queen said they were lovely flowers. She didn’t mention our hats.”

Their mother, Senny Stanford, said: “Charles and Camilla spoke to us and said it was very cold. Charles gave us a few tips on how to keep warm.”

Freedom Scott Tansley (10) handed the Queen a teddy bear dressed as a Scout.

Mother PegTansley (43), a charity worker from Norfolk, said: “He’s a massive fan of the Queen because he’s a Scout and she is the patron. He has known her since he was in the Beavers.

“Somebody asked if the bear was for Kate. He said ‘no, it’s for the Queen’ because he loves her so much.”

The Earl and Countess of Wessex were presented with a pink rose.

As the Queen was driven away, the crowd gave her three cheers.

The Queen was also handed a bag of dog treats for her corgis by a girl in the crowd.

Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and their daughter Lady Louise Windsor walk with the Duke of Edinburgh before the service.

Picture: PA.

PA. From left: Autumn and Peter Phillips with the Princess Royal; Zara Phillips and husband Mike Tindall; Princess Eugenie and the Countess of Wessex wearing a fascinating fascinator.