Poppy Girl family tell of 'emotional' surprise reunion

A father and daughter who were tearfully reunited in front of the Queen on live TV this weekend have spoken about the "emotion" of their specially arranged meeting.

Lieutenant Commander Billy Adams saw his 10-year-old daughter Megan, a singer in the Poppy Girls group, for the first time in five months after she had performed at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night.

The naval officer, who has been tackling Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean, had been secretly flown to the UK by the Royal British Legion without his daughter knowing.

"As I walked down the stairs on to the stage I was struggling to hold it together. It was the emotion of the whole thing. I hugged her and told her, 'you sang beautifully'," he told the Daily Mail.

The pair's on-stage hug reduced many audience members to tears, among them Samantha Cameron and the Countess of Wessex.

Megan, who believed her dad was thousands of miles away, told the newspaper: "I cried when I saw him because I miss him so much. I am proud of what he does - stopping the pirates - but it is hard not getting to see him."