They planned to use a spade wielded by the late Queen Mother when she planted a tree on a visit to the Royal Norfolk Show in 1952 and kept in a special display case ever since.

But in the end, showground bosses considered the 72-year-old royal relic simply too treasured to be used and handed the guest of honour Lady Philippa Dannatt, the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, another gardening tool instead.

Mark Nicholas, RNAA managing director, said: "The spade last used by the Queen Mother in 1952 was too precious to be used today, so we decided to put it into our heritage collection, and it has been succeeded by the Dannatt spade."

The Queen Mother planting........

© Norwich Evening News