Thousands of people turned out to welcome Her Majesty The Queen to Hastings on Friday, June 6, 1997.

During her visit, she officially opened Priory Meadow Shopping Centre and visited the Old Town, where she was presented with a winkle by the Winkle Club. She then went on to the Fishermen’s Museum and Shipwreck Museum, before lunch and a tour of the old Hastings College site. She also visited West St Leonards Primary School, where she unveiled a plaque before departing via a helicopter from the school field.