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A pair of newlyweds who were met by the Queen minutes after they tied the knot have told Sky News of their delight at getting the royal seal of approval.
The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh were on a visit to Manchester Town Hall when they were introduced to a surprised John and Frances Canning at the venue.
The couple had known for weeks that the VIPs would be in the building on their big day, but said they had no idea they would meet the royals in person until they were told shortly beforehand.
They now have the rare honour of having the Queen and the Duke in their wedding photograph album after they spent a few moments speaking to them.
Mrs Canning, 44, of Prestwich, Greater Manchester, told Sky: "It was just a shock.
"We realised she was going to be there, but we didn't know that we were going to get to meet her.
"We didn't get told (about the meeting) until about 10 minutes after we got married."
Mr Canning revealed he had earlier, jokingly, written to Buckingham Palace to invite the Queen to join their big day when he found out she would be at the town hall on other business, but received a reply declining the offer.
Mr Canning, 48, said: "She came up and obviously it was just bizarre... that the Queen knew our names.
"She said, 'Hello John, hello Frances', and commented on how beautiful Frances looked in her dress, and wished us happiness for the future."
He described Prince Philip as a "lovely man". "I was surprised to know that he even knew where we were going on honeymoon.
"He asked us where we were going in Italy and was very charming."
Mr Canning added: "You can have a lot of money in the world, but you can't buy that."
