Hundreds gather at railway station to welcome Queen to City of Culture

The Queen arrived in Hull to cheers from crowds as she began a visit to mark the city's tenure as UK City of Culture 2017.

She smiled as she talked to many of the hundreds of people who gathered at the railway station to watch as she got off the Royal Train.

The royal visitor went on a brief walkabout in the station concourse as she walked from the train to her waiting car, gathering dozens of bouquets of flowers and chatting to many of those waiting, including a number of children.

The city has seen hundreds of cultural events since the year-long Hull 2017 celebrations began in January.

Hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to the various events which will culminate in the Turner Prize being awarded in the city next month.

One of the most high profile events of the year was Blade, in which a 250ft (75m) long wind turbine blade was placed in the city centre.

The Queen will visit the Siemens factory in Hull where the blade was made and she will see the state-of-the-art production line as well as meet staff.

She will also be shown a scheme aiming to encourage young people into engineering as well as talk to apprentices.

The Queen will finish her visit at the University of Hull, where she will open the Allam Medical Building.

The royal visitor is expected to meet students at the centre, which is at the heart of the university's £28 million health campus.

Vice-chancellor Professor Susan Lea said: "It is a great honour to welcome Her Majesty The Queen to the University to open this truly outstanding facility.

"We are extremely proud of the vital contribution that our graduates and staff make to the health of the region and this investment enables us to extend our impact through the delivery of pioneering teaching and research."