The Queen was 'fiendishly good company' says Yorkshire's Alan Titchmarsh

Alan Titchmarsh has described the Queen as "fiendishly good company" following her death.

The horticulturalist and TV presenter met the Queen on many occasions during her long reign and had close links to the Royal Family.

Mr Titchmarsh, from Ilkley in West Yorkshire, told ITV News: "I remember her as a child because she was the face on stamps, she was the face on the coin.

"I never ever imagined I’d get to meet her or, as I did on a couple of occasions, sit next to her at lunch where I discovered that as well as being the Sovereign, she was the most remarkable woman and fiendishly good company.

"I was astonished at how free she was with conversations. I thought it was a great compliment that she said things to me that she clearly felt wouldn’t go any further - and they never have."

• Alan Titchmarsh recalls his meetings with the Queen.

Mr Titchmarsh was presented with an MBE for services to horticulture and broadcasting by the Queen in 2000.

He said she was funny and opinionated, especially when talking about the topics that interested her most – horses and dogs.

Mr Titchmarsh praised Her Majesty for "remaining stable and steadfast when everything else changed".

He said: "She became Queen in 1952 - there was a way of being monarch then which evolved.

"She found a way that worked for her which was to keep that magic, to keep that distance, to do everything she was asked to do as a sovereign, but she didn’t get too, to use common parlance now, ‘down with the kids’ and I think that was the secret of her success.

"She remained stable and steadfast when everything else changed."

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