THE ATMOSPHERE was electric and excitement filled the streets of Exeter last week as the Queen began her Golden Jubilee tour in the Westcountry — but one Okehampton resident got more than he bargained for when he found himself sitting behind the royal visitors in Exeter Cathedral.

Okehampton Chamber of Trade chairman Ian Bailey was one of the priviliged guests invited by the Lord Lieutenent of Devon to attend the cathedral to witness a spectacle of dance, drama and music from some of the county's most talented youngsters.

He said just being there was a great honour but when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were escorted to seats in front of him he almost had the shock of his life.

'There were four empty seats in front of me and I did not think for a moment two of them would be for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh,' he said. 'It must have been the luck of the draw but they sat there for around 15 minutes to enjoy a play by the Devon Youth Theatre.'

Mr Bailey said it was a day he would never forget — 'a once in a lifetime experience'.

'It was a tremendous honour and to be so close to the Queen was really special,' he said. 'I could not see her face as we watched the performance but I am sure she enjoyed it because I did.

'It was something completely different and Devon should be very proud of what it put on for her.'

All captured live on TV, the chamber of trade chairman is yet to see himself on camera so he is hoping someone will have videoed the coverage.

He added that the Queen and the Duke appeared very normal and ordinary despite their royal status and people really warmed to them.

'It was a great day for the county and the atmosphere was really wonderful,' he said.

'It was all done so professionally and hopefully the Queen will go away with wonderful memories of Devon.'

Another person lucky enough to get close to the Queen was Okehampton's Royal British Legion Standard bearer James Stacey, who at 16, is the youngest standard bearer in Devon.

James was selected to represent Devon along with 16 other standard bearers and had trained for weeks for the big day where he took pride of place lining the entrance to the cathedral.

'It was a great experience for me and something I will never forget — I was just a couple of feet away from the Queen,' he said.

'She was opposite me taking flowers and talking with the public whilst the Duke of Edinburgh talked to the legionnaires which is what I expected to happen.

'There was a really good atmosphere and it was one of the proudest days of my life.'

James' mum Christine said she had a lump in her throat: 'I would not have missed it for the world,' she said.

'It was a fantastic day and you really had to be there to appreciate the atmosphere, which was electric,' she said.

'It seemed like we were forever waiting for this day with all the anticipation and getting ready and it came and went in a flash but it was lovely for James to be part of it.'

James was supported by a large contingent from the Okehampton branch of the Royal British Legion.

Lewdown's Bob Westlake, one of the residents who spearheaded the West Devon Drive, said meeting the Queen at County Hall in Exeter was a wonderful experience.

Mr Westlake said he told the Queen that the Drive was a 'unique scheme' whereby residents along the 12-mile stretch of the old A30 had control of the day-to-day running of the road in an attempt to boost businesses.

Mr Westlake said: 'She was very interested — we had quite a long chat.

'She commented on the fact that when an area is by-passed, people suddenly have to make a huge adjustment and it was good that people made an effort to negate that, which we did, with the particular help from West Devon Borough Council.'

Mr Westlake said he felt the Queen was a 'superbly strong character' who did a wonderful job.

'She was most charming. I felt so honoured to be asked to go, and to actually be introduced to her was just wonderful,' he said.

Valerie Hill of Lamerton said she was 'very, very lucky' to have been able to speak to the Queen.

Mrs Hill also said the Queen was 'charming' and although the whole experience had been a bit daunting, it was one she would never forget.

'I've never ever even come close to her before in my life and I really was quite overwhelmed — she really is a magical lady,' said Mrs Hill, who was impressed that the Queen showed no signs of tiredness, despite the fact it was her last engagement of a very hectic day.

West Devon Mayor Cllr Robin Pike said the royal visit was 'an occasion to remember'.

'It was an absolutely magical day, it was wonderful,' said Cllr Pike.

'It was very well organised indeed. The queen met people from throughout West Devon — she was very sincere and she had a good talk with those who had been involved with foot and mouth, which was something she requested.'