Unexpected sovereign in the bagging area: The Queen browses Waitrose with Prince Philip after touring the Prince of Wales' pride-and-joy Poundbury estate 

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Charles and Camilla toasted their 'Utopian' Poundbury estate with a glass of ale as the Queen gave the development her royal seal of approval during an anniversary tour.

The Duchess of Cornwall was seen pouring a half pint of beer for her husband this afternoon as they marked the official opening of The Duchess of Cornwall Inn in the experimental Dorset village.

The couple were joined by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, who also perused the ales on tap, before mingling with some of the 3,000 locals who now live on the estate. 

Her Majesty then returned to Waitrose, the on-site supermarket, where she was seen browsing the cheese aisle and studying the cereals on offer.

Queen Elizabeth enters the self-scanning area of the new Waitrose supermarket in Poundbury, Dorset, as part of the tour  

The Queen later browsed the speciality cheese aisle of Waitrose in Poundbury as part of her visit to the development 

Her Majesty visited the supermarket - the first Waitrose to open in the area - with the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles 

The Queen and Prince Charles joined the Royal duo as they looked at the products on offer. The supermarket forms part of the urban development 

Prince Philip and The Duchess of Cornwall look through food hampers during a visit to Poundbury's Waitrose store 

Camilla speaks with Waitrose cafe staff during a visit to Poundbury, which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall

Charles and Camilla toasted their 'Utopian' Poundbury estate with a glass of ale this afternoon (pictured) as the Queen gave the development her royal seal of approval

The Duchess of Cornwall pours and hands Prince Charles a half pint of the Badger ale, named The Duchess, inside the Duchess of Cornwall Inn in Poundbury

The Duke of Edinburgh studies the different ales on tap inside The Duchess of Cornwall pub during a tour of the new estate

In a tour that marks 20 years since building of Poundbury began, the Queen also visited the pub on site where locals gathered 

The Royal tour of the village, which came twenty years after work on the estate began, also saw Charles unveil a 10ft statue of his beloved grandmother, to whom the development is dedicated.

The statue takes centre stage in the development's main square, the Queen Mother Square, and is surrounded by buildings named after her race horses.   

Prince Charles was very close to his grandmother, who died in 2002 aged 101, and decided several years ago to honour her in Poundbury.  

Speaking before the statue was unveiled- with a very hoarse voice due to a cold - the heir to the throne told the Queen, Duke, Duchess and the hundreds of well-wishers that the estate had been 'dangerously revolutionary'.

He acknowledged how his architectural views have been out of favour, describing how he has been 'battling against the tide' as he tried to achieve a 'mere dream'. 

He said: 'For me one of the most essential features of Poundbury has been its mixed use, mixed income composition - a dangerously revolutionary move 25 years ago.'  

But he added: 'It is a great honour Your Majesty is able to be with us today, 18 years after you first came here, for such an important occasion in the history of Poundbury on the edge of the historic town of Dorchester.

'Twenty-five years ago all this was a mere dream, to most people except for the late Sir David Landale, the then Duchy of Cornwall secretary, a completely mad dream.  

'Battling against the tide is an uncomfortable experience I can assure you, for that reason I'm indebted to the brilliant master planner and conventional mould breaker Leon Krier and Andrew Hamilton, the long suffering and highly professional (Duchy of Cornwall) development director, for helping to make the scheme a reality.' 

He went on to thank the builder firms involved without whose work 'none of this would ever have been achieved to such a high standard of quality' and their teams of local craftsmen, 'Dorset men through and through'.  

The Queen (left and right) was greeted by residents as she arrived at the 'Utopian' Poundbury development for a guided tour

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles watch on as the 10ft statue of the Queen Mother is unveiled in the centre of Poundbury

The Queen, Camilla and the Duke of Edinburgh listened as Charles delivered his speech, before the unveiling of the statute. He admitted his plans for the village had been 'dangerously revolutionary' 

The Royal party stand in front of well-wishers as they tour the Poundbury development for the first time together in 18 years

Prince Charles and his father, The Duke of Edinburgh, chat to one another ahead of the Queen Mother statue being unveiled

Prince Charles speaks with members of the public and residents as he tours the Poundbury urban development in Dorset 

The Prince of Wales's model village - an extension to the Dorset town of Dorchester - is a mix of shops, cottages, town houses and businesses on the edge of Dorchester which reflects his passion for classical architecture.

In the past, it has been criticised for harking back to an earlier architectural tradition. But it was praised today as a 'beacon to the way forward' by one of the professionals closely involved with it. 

Andrew Hamilton, development director for the Duchy of Cornwall, which owns the land Poundbury is built on, gave a speech before the Queen unveiled a statue of the Queen Mother and told Charles: 'You, sir, single-handedly set out to challenge the accepted orthodoxy of planning and development in this country.

'At a time when there is a nationwide clamour for new housing I believe that Poundbury stands as a beacon to the way forward.'  

The Royal party are seen leaving the Duchess of Cornwall Inn, the pub in Poundbury which has been named after Camilla

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Prince Charles's 'Utopian' Poundbury village for a guided tour Waitrose and the village pub

After touring Queen Mother Square - the heart of the development - the Queen (left and right) and the Duke visited the local Waitrose supermarket and attended a private reception

Prince Charles (pictured with Camilla, the Duke and the Queen) took his parents on a tour of the village, just one month after unveiling the latest phase of building. The estate is due for completion in 2025

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh with the Prince of Wales (left) and the Duchess of Cornwall, during a visit to Poundbury

Work began on the estate project in 1993 and the idea was to create an urban quarter of Dorchester which gave priority to people, rather than cars.

Charles also wanted an area where commercial buildings were mixed with residential areas, shops and leisure facilities to create a walkable community. 

Today, Poundbury is home to 3,000 people in a mix of private and affordable housing. The community also provides employment to 2,100 people and is home to 185 businesses.

Last month, Charles unveiled the latest phase of the estate: a huge palladian property named Strathmore House in a nod to the Queen Mother's heritage. Her father, Claude Bowes-Lyon was the 14th Earl of Strathmore.

The neoclassical building features a large balcony with two majestic pillars and looks remarkably similar to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen Mother lived with King George VI until his death in 1952. 

Strathmore House - a replica of Buckingham Palace - stands in the middle of his village of Poundbury in Dorset

The neoclassical building features a large balcony with two majestic pillars and looks remarkably similar to Buckingham Palace (pictured)

The statue (left) is based on the Queen Mother when she was younger. She is pictured right, in a similar outfit, walking in procession to the service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

The new buildings look over Queen Mother Square, named after Prince Charles' beloved grandmother (pictured)

It contains eight luxury flats worth £650,000 each, which have all been sold.  

Next to Strathmore House is the Duchess of Cornwall, a five-storey public house modelled on the Ritz Hotel, a favourite haunt of the Queen Mother.

The building, a joint venture between the Duchy of Cornwall and Hall and Woodhouse brewery, will offer a pub restaurant, conference facilities and hotel accommodation.

Another block of 20 exclusive flats and a spa is being built on the other side of the square and will be called the Royal Pavilion, named after one of the Queen Mother's racehorses. 

This computer generated image, printed on a billboard, shows how the Royal Pavilion will look when complete

The Royal Pavilion, which will house luxury apartments, takes its name from one of the Queen Mother's racehorses

The 10ft tall statue of the Queen Mother is the finishing touch.  

The collection of buildings has both bemused and delighted local residents in Poundbury.

Poundbury, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, has been created on the basis of architectural principles found desirable by Prince Charles. 

A statue of the Queen Mother is seen being lifted into postition by workmen in Queen Mother Square, Poundbury. The Queen, the Duke and Charles and Camilla will today attend a short ceremony where the statue will be unveiled

A general view of the Poundbury development, which is celebrating 20 years since building began

Poundbury is a mix of shops, cottages, town houses (pictured) and businesses on the edge of Dorchester

It is intended as a Utopian idyll where there is no segregation of social classes, and schools, shops and places of work are within walking distance.

The village's overall plan was developed in the 1980s by Leon Krier, an architect from Luxembourg, and construction began in October 1993.

It is due for completion in 2025 and Poundbury will have a population of 5,000 people.