The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh gave the royal seal of approval to Margate's Turner Contemporary on their first visit to the town in almost 20 years today.

Their Royal Highnesses were given a guided tour of the art gallery and met the artist Tracey Emin, who spent much of her childhood in Margate, before unveiling a plaque to commemorate their visit.

After lunch, the royal party moved to nearby lifeboat station, where they met RNLI crews, their families and local volunteers.

Earlier in the day, The Queen, dressed in a pale pink coat and a cream hat, had taken a whistlestop tour of the Old Town area, where hundreds of people had gathered to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty.

Some well-wishers had arrived in Margate as early as 7am – more than four hours before the royal couple arrived at Kent International Airport, Manston.

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Today's visit was the first by The Queen to Margate since July 16, 1993.

You can relive all the excitement of the day with our live coverage below, featuring pictures, video and audio from our reporters and photographers in Margate, as well as a selection of your tweets and photos.