Crowning glory for emblem designer

As a prize for creating the best emblem designs in Blue Peter’s Diamond Jubilee competition, 30 youngsters enjoyed the afternoon at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen’s young guests were the top 10 in their age groups after entering the competition to design the official emblem for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next year.

At the Royal reception, the creative guests, aged between six to 14, chatted with the Queen and enjoyed tea and cakes.

Katherine Dewar, 10, was announced as the winner in February, with an eye-catching design featuring a crown poised above a Union Flag with diamonds in columns down either side.

The schoolgirl said she was “very excited but a bit nervous” to see the Queen and happy with the design, which had taken her an hour to complete.

The Queen donned her gold Blue Peter badge for the occasion. She described the winning emblem as “splendid” and asked if Katherine wanted to be a designer when she grew up.

Speaking to Haris Vincent, winner of the six-to-eight category, the Queen said how easy it was to see the number 60 in his design. The youngster from Norwich, said: “I was very excited to meet her. I couldn’t wait to come. It felt fantastic.”

“She said my design was very colourful.”

It will be the first time a jubilee emblem has not been crafted by professionals, said Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood.

“She was actually quite gobsmacked as to how many different designs there were based on the criteria. She was very impressed by that.”