Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to attend Great Yorks event

5:49pm Sunday 11th May 2008

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THE Great Yorkshire Show is set to be a right royal occasion this year, with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh due to attend the event.

Show bosses said the Royal couple were to visit the event on Thursday July 10, and that they were working on an itinerary for them to follow while they were there.

The Queen has visited the show twice before, in 1957 and 1977.

She was also patron of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which organises the show, from 1952 to 1997. The role of patron was then taken on by the Prince of Wales, who attended the show with the Duchess of Cornwall in 2006.

More than 120,000 visitors are expected to attend the three days of this year's 150th Great Yorkshire Show.

The event will see more than 8,000 animals - from bulls to bunnies - competing for championship rosettes.

Show chiefs said there would be a mix of entertainment and attractions on offer at the event, and that there would be around 700 stands there, selling everything from swimming pools to designer clothes.

The programme includes daily fashion shows, including the Yorkshire Fashion Idol competition and 150 Years of Bridal Wear.

There will be five cookery theatres showcasing regional food, including demonstrations of game recipes, as well as international show jumping, the 30m-tall Great Yorkshire Show Wheel, and the Great Lorenzo, an equestrian display of one man with 12 horses.

Visitors will be able to view the flower show, which will have a new small gardens feature, and the Great British Pole Climbing Championships.

They will also be able to take part in activities such as driving a digger and dry stone walling.

Bill Cowling, the show's director, said: "We're absolutely delighted that Her Majesty is going to come to see us - it's the 150th show this year, which is quite an achievement for any organisation, and we're delighted that Her Majesty can get to Yorkshire to see us.

"I think it's quite an honour for the whole of Yorkshire - not just the Great Yorkshire Show."

A spokeswoman for the show said: "We're working on an itinerary for the Queen and Duke to follow at the moment and further details will be released nearer the time."

The event will run from Tuesday, July 8 to Thursday, July 10, at the Great Yorkshire Showground, in Harrogate.