Video: Queen in Sheffield keeps mum about THAT wedding

Dressed in a red hat and overcoat, the Queen met scientists, doctors and VIPs at the state-of-the-art Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience.

Institute director Professor Pam Shaw, who showed the royal visitors around, said: "It's the realisation of a dream for me.

"I've wanted to see this ever since I was a medical student.

"The Queen was very interested in what we're doing and was very chatty."

But when asked if there was any talk of her grandson's wedding, Prof Shaw joked: "We didn't get to the royal wedding.

"I suppose it may come up at lunch."

Prof Shaw said: "It was a really lovely visit, such an honour for them to come.

"It will really give a boost to motor neurone disease.

"It's been a sort of neglected condition. This will raise the profile for it."

The Duke of Devonshire, who is honorary patron of the centre, also said the royal visit was a huge boost.

He said: "If this centre can move the science forward to alleviate some of the terrible distress then the whole thing is worthwhile.

"It is exciting. There's so many people in this building who've done so much work and they're so modest."

Patron Stuart Keane, whose son Shaun died from motor neurone disease earlier this year, said he managed to hold back the tears as he met The Queen.

He said: "I did well. I didn't start to cry and drown her in tears.

"I told her how my son had been diagnosed with MND and how hopeless you feel when you find out about the horrors of the disease.

"She's a lovely lady."

The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) brings together specialists from around the world dedicated to finding the causes of MND and, hopefully, a cure.

It will also study other neurodegenerative conditions including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

More than 6,000 people suffer from MND in the UK.

Later, the Queen visited Sheffield Cathedral to watch 150 local school children rehearse and then sing songs. It was the first time a monarch has visited the city centre cathedral.

The Queen was treated to three songs during her 30 minute visit; Queen's We will Rock You, The Beatles hit All You Need Is Love and I just Can't Wait To Be King from the musical The Lion King.

The children were taking part in the cathedral's Sing! Project, which aims to bring singing back into the everyday lives of children in the more deprived areas of Sheffield.

Outside the cathedral hundreds of well-wishers gathered to watch the Royal party arrive and leave.

Linda Mitchell from Pontefract, managed to grab a few words with the monarch.

"It was wonderful to see her and I thanked her for coming," Mrs Mitchell said.

Mrs Mitchell said a friend congratulated the Queen on the forthcoming wedding of her grandson.

"She smiled and agreed how nice it is," she added.

Later, the Queen donned 3-D glasses as she virtually piloted a digger to start the building work on the new Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.

She used a joystick to operate the machine from inside a portable building while the "real" digger cut the ground for the state-of-the-art facility about 200m away.

The Queen performed the virtual ceremony as she toured the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre With Boeing alongside the duke.

During the tour, Professor Keith Ridgway, the centre's founder and research director, used a photo display to explain how the complex is built on the site of the Orgreave coking plant and open cast mine which was the scene of the notorious Battle of Orgreave 26 years ago.

The royal visitors made no comment as Prof Ridgway explained how this was a battle between striking miners and police over a number of days in 1984.