THE Queen and Duke of Edinburgh enjoyed a warm welcome on their first visit to Liverpool since 2008.

The Royal couple spent an hour-and-a-half at the city’s waterfront yesterday.

Her Majesty, wearing a burgundy coat and dress by designer Karl Ludwig and a hat by Liverpudlian Angela Kelly, and the Duke first visited the Museum of Liverpool. There they met civic dignitaries, National Museums Liverpool trustees and guests including the Bishop of Liverpool, MP Steve Rotheram, cyclist Chris Boardman, Andrew Collinge, Mike McCartney and Yoko Ono.

The 78-year-old artist, who had flown over from New York for the event, revealed she had complimented the 85-year-old monarch on her outfit. She said: “It was so amazing that particular colour, it made her look so young and beautiful. It may not have been the proper thing to do, but I just felt like saying it.”

Her Majesty was taken on a tour of the building by NML chairman Phil Redmond and Museum of Liverpool director Janet Dugdale, while the Duke was accompanied on a separate tour by NML director Dr David Fleming and Sharon Granville, the new museum’s executive director.

The Queen met Mike McCartney in the Skylight gallery which is exhibiting his photographs.

She was also shown the People’s Republic gallery – where she saw the Daily Post’s Liverpool map, Wondrous Place, and the new City Soldiers’ gallery which plays tribute to the King’s Regiment and where she was introduced to Warrant Officer Class 2 Craig Horner, of the 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment.