In December 2000, the Queen and Prince Philip visited Newcastle to officially open the Centre for Life science centre.
More than two decades on and following the Queen's death, Linda Conlon - chief executive at the centre - told ChronicleLive how the monarch's visit had made a fantastic difference. She also spoke about how moving it was to see the Queen "light up" when meeting local children.
Linda, who was made an MBE in 2016, reminisced about the Queen's visit - and how a striking image of the Queen looking down a microscope was captioned by the media as: "The Queen loves Life."
"She officially opened the Centre for Life in December 2000," Linda said. "We opened in stages of course as it was such a big project- but by that time there was a critical mass there and the Queen came to officially open the buildings.
"There's an enormous amount of preparation behind the scenes for any royal visit, but especially for the Queen. We didn't just have the local police, there were meetings with Special Branch, the Met. I remember having numerous visits from various officials to make sure that everything ran like clockwork."
Linda, who has been involved with the Centre for Life since its creation, added that the day in question had been cold, but "crisp and bright" - and that she remembered sniffer dogs visiting too, as part of a slick security operation.
She added: "It was a wonderful occasion, a chance to help us recognise all of the people who had helped make the project happen. Prince Philip was with the Queen - he went to see much of the genetics work we were doing. So I had around 20 minutes by myself with the Queen to take her around and introduce her to our staff and the schoolchildren who were visiting.
"I had been told in advance how a lot of people get overwhelmed or a bit tongue-tied and that can make it so much more difficult for the Queen, so as instructed I was prepared with a few talking points. What sticks in my memory is that she just lit up when she met the schoolchildren.
"Of course they knew she was the Queen and she was important, but it was wonderful that they didn't really moderate their behaviour. Not that they behaved badly of course, but it didn't change them much!"
As for what she talked to Queen Elizabeth about, Linda added: "We talked about how the Centre for Life was really unusual in being all of the things it is. The research, that it's somewhere for treatment for genetic diseases and where you go for IVF.
"She said 'I don't think I've been anywhere like this before'. It was so unique then. We spoke about science and technology, it was the first science centre in Newcastle. And we talked about the transformation of poorer communities and poorer areas and how to help them reach their potential."
And Linda said that the Queen's visit had had a tangible benefit for the Centre for Life - that it was something that gave organisations around the world confidence that the centre meant business. he added: "We benefitted so much from her endorsement. It was wonderful to get that royal approval. People talk about the soft power of the monarchy - for us this was that in action."
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