QUEEN Elizabeth’s visits to Devon have always been memorable and successful, but that is not to say that they are without mishaps.

Harry (pictured above, third from the right) is now 25, living in Kingskerswell. He was just 12 when he met the Queen at Wyvern Barracks in Exeter.

Touring the South West in 2010, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Wyvern Barracks to meet the various army cadet groups across Devon who had come together for the visit.

At the time, Harry was in D Company Rifles Army Cadet Force, which included cadets from the Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot areas.

He remembered the day well, not just due to the gravity of the moment but also because of a simple verbal slip-up.

Harry said: ’Basically, we were all there assembled, ready for her to come by. I was in the front rank because I was one of the shortest in the group.

‘She walked along, working her way down the company, smiling – then a question popped into her head. She stopped and asked me what battalion I was affiliated with.

‘That’s when I said: Sixth Battalion, the Rifles, Mum – because I messed up saying Ma’am’

Luckily, Harry said: ‘The Queen took it in her stride and carried on - she probably gets it all the time!

‘I only noticed after she moved on and one of the older guys gave me a little punch in the spine and called me a muppet.

‘I still can’t believe what happened, there were hundreds of us in the front row and she could have asked a question to anyone. Instead, she chooses me to ask and I instantly mess up!’

Although Harry’s engagement with Queen Elizabeth was fleeting, he found her to be ‘warm, smiley and energetic’. Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh wasn’t far behind and, given his military background, took a real interest in the cadets.

Since the encounter, Harry has since spent several years in the military.

Reflecting on her passing, Harry said: ‘I knew the Queen was ill, but she’s been on the throne my entire life.

‘Even when I joined the Army I swore my oath to her, so it’s very weird to see her passing.

‘However, I think that Charles did a really good job on his speech - it was bang on what it should have been, but it’s still a weird time right now.’