Britain's Queen Elizabeth visited a boxing gym in Manchester yesterday (14.11.13).
The 87-year-old royal got an up close and personal view of a sparring match between two young boxers while visiting the Factory Youth Zone in Harpurhey, near Manchester city centre.
The queen and her husband Prince Philip were given a tour of the facilities, where they not only met the budding boxers, but also saw youngsters with an enthusiasm for rock climbing and trampolining.
The royal couple were the toast of the town when the royal train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly station on Thursday morning.
Local travellers were shocked to see Queen Elizabeth - clad in a light blue outfit - arrive on the platform as they awaited their trains on the opposite side of the station.
Schoolchildren were on hand to greet the royals with bouquets of flowers for the monarch.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip also visited the Co-Operative Group's £100 million headquarters in Manchester, leading to whispers of excitement from workers.
Humorous Philip quipped: "Back to work!"
Tagged in Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth