STANDFIRST: As the country celebrates the Queen's platinum jubilee, the Tele has taken a look into its archives for a flashback featuring royal visits of the past in Inverclyde - and spoken to the last civic leader here to host one. Gordon McCracken reports...

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INVERCLYDE'S former Provost Robert Moran has recalled his 'once in a lifetime' encounter with Queen Elizabeth in 2012.

The Labour councillor was one of a number of local representatives who met the Queen when she visited Inverclyde as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour.

The much-loved monarch, who is this week celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, impressed Councillor Moran and his fellow politicians with her knowledge of the local area and its history.

Huge crowds gathered in Greenock's Clyde Square on July 4 in 2012 as the Queen visited with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and opened the council's customer contact centre.

Councillor Moran told the Tele that the visit had been a historic moment for Inverclyde and one that he looked back on fondly.

He said: "I was blown away by the public response, Clyde Square was full and there were people as far as the eye could see.

"Visits like this are so rare that it was a once in a lifetime chance for some people here to see the Queen.

"She was only making a few stops in Scotland, we were very proud to be picked.

"Myself and the other representatives were amazed by the knowledge she displayed about the area - she knew a lot about Inverclyde's history and even talked about things like the sugar sheds.

"You could tell she'd taken the time to learn about the area.

"I think here's an awful lot of affection for her in Inverclyde."

While royal visits are a rare event in Inverclyde, the monarch has been coming to the area since the 1940s.

In July 1947, the young Princess Elizabeth visited Greenock with her family as part of the royal review of the home fleet on the Clyde.

The royal party included King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, her younger sister Princess Margaret and the Queen's then-fiance Philip Mountbatten.

She also visited Port Glasgow in November 1993 to launch the MV Pharos from Ferguson's shipyard.

The monarch later dined with representatives of the area, including former Provost Allan Robertson, at Gleddoch House Hotel in Langbank.

She returned to Inverclyde less than a decade later in 2000 to launch the £15m ferry MV Hebrides at Ferguson's.

Flag-waving crowds in Port Glasgow cheered the monarch's arrival at the yard, where she paid tribute to the Ferguson's workforce in a speech.

She received a similar reception in 2012, when locals gathered along the Battery Park and the Esplanade desperate to catch a glimpse of the monarch as she arrived in town.

Councillor Moran says he feels that the sense of respect for the Queen is as strong in Inverclyde today as it was 10 years ago.

He added: "The sentiment we saw that day is still here.

"It transcends any politics, there's a respect for the Queen around here.

"If she was to come here tomorrow the response would be the same.

"Personally I never thought being involved in a royal visit would ever happen to me.

"Who would have thought that a boy brought up in a Greenock housing scheme would get to meet the Queen and be the Provost?

"That felt like my destiny, it was incredible.

"It's a story that'll be passed down in my family forever."