The Queen of colour blocking! Royal wears bold blue as she and the Duke of Edinburgh pay tribute to Battle of Britain war heroes

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The Queen, 88, and Prince Philip were in Capel-le-Ferne, Kent
Opened The Wing at the National Memorial to the Few
The Few fought in the skies overheard to keep Britain free from invasion

Published: 08:58 EST, 26 March 2015 | Updated: 09:46 EST, 26 March 2015

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The Queen was certainly in a springtime mood as she arrived to open The Wing at the National Memorial to the Few, in Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, on Thursday.

Her Majesty wore a sky blue wool coat with a royal blue collar and matching pockets and trim, topping off the look with a blue hat.

The Queen and The Duke were greeted by Prince Michael of Kent, who is a patron of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon.

Queen Elizabeth II smiles at schoolchildren as she leaves the National Memorial to the Few after opening a new wing dressed in a vibrant blue outfit

The royal couple viewed the video wall and other special effects that bring to life the Battle of Britain and the life of 'The Few', who fought in the skies overheard to keep Britain free from invasion during the summer and early Autumn of 1940.

The monarch and Duke then met trustees, supporters and volunteers before meeting local school children learning about the Battle of Britain in the dedicated education area, The Geoffrey Page Centre.

The Queen and The Duke also visited the 'Cockpit Café', where they met a group of 'The Few', surviving RAF airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain in the Second World War, before viewing a flypast of a Hurricane, Spitfire and Typhoon.

As part of her duties, the Queen unveiled a plaque to mark the opening and received a posy.

In the 1980s, Wing Commander Geoffrey Page, a Hurricane pilot who was shot down during the Battle of Britain, realised that there was no national memorial to the men he had with flown with in 1940.

His efforts to amend this led to the founding of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and the unveiling of the National Memorial to the Few – a lone pilot looking out over the English Channel, in the village between Folkestone and Dover – by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Her Majesty wore a sky blue wool coat with a royal blue collar and matching pockets and trim, topping off the look with a blue hat

The Queen, followed by The Duke, was greeted by Prince Michael of Kent, who is a patron of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon

Maintained by the Trust, the site at Capel-le-Ferne is dedicated to Churchill's famous 'Few' who fought in the skies overheard to keep Britain free from invasion.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust’s new Wing building is home to the high-tech, interactive Scramble Experience, which tells the story of the Battle of Britain, while the Geoffrey Page Centre, is a dedicated teaching space for schools to use.

The building itself follows the wing plan of RJ Mitchell’s most iconic fighter, the Supermarine Spitfire, one of the two aircraft credited with doing the most to win the Battle of Britain in 1940.

The building copies the Spitfire’s uplifted wing shape and has a central first floor café, which looks directly across the Channel towards France, from where enemy aircraft would have appeared 75 years ago.

Schoolchildren camp out in the rain to catch a glimpse of the Queen as she visits the National Memorial

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, also visited Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, today

The Queen and The Duke were greeted by Prince Michael of Kent, who is a patron of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon

The monarch met trustees, supporters and volunteers before meeting local school children learning about the Battle of Britain in the dedicated education area, The Geoffrey Page Centre

The Wing will complement the other attractions at the National Memorial, which include the Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall, listing the names of those who took part in the Battle, the Memorial itself and a replica Hurricane and Spitfire.

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, also visited Canterbury Cathedral, Kent.

The royal couple went to a private lunch before attending a service when they followed a procession to the Great West Door where they were introduced to the sculptor and stonemasons.

The Queen unveiled statues of Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh and following the unveiling, the Royal party attended a brief reception for staff and supporters before departing.

Schoolchildren wait patiently in the rain for the arrival of the Queen

The monarch unveiled a plaque as she opened a new wing in the National Memorial

Queen Elizabeth II meets Mrs K Foster (L), Wing Commander Paul Farnes (C) and Squadron Leader Tom Pickering as she visits the National Memorial to the Few ahead of opening a new wing

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh watch a short film on the Battle of Britain as they visit the National Memorial to the Few

Canterbury Cathedral is the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Cathedral is both a holy place and part of a World Heritage Site.

Founded in 597 AD by St Augustine, it is arguably the oldest institution in the English speaking world. Over the years, the Cathedral has witnessed many historic events, perhaps most famously the murder of Archbishop St Thomas Becket in his own cathedral on 29th December 1170 by four knights acting on the order of King Henry II.

The new statues of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were commissioned by the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of The Queen’s reign and will complement statues by the Cathedral’s West Door of Queen Victoria (the only other monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee) and Prince Albert.

The royal statues have been carved by Nina Bilbey. Since 2000, Nina has specialised in stone carving and she is presently the Senior Carving Tutor at The City and Guilds Art School London.

Commissions include statues for Hampton Court Flower Show, as well as St. Pancras Station and Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Nina has also been involved on many restoration projects across this country and abroad. Projects include The Houses of Parliament, The Royal Pavilion Brighton and Hereford Cathedral.

Queen Elizabeth II meets Wing Commander Tom Neil as she visits the National Memorial to the Few

The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust's new Wing building is home to the high-tech, interactive Scramble Experience, which tells the story of the Battle of Britain, and the Geoffrey Page Centre, a dedicated teaching space for schools to use