It was a church service with a difference as hundreds of people headed to the cathedral clutching their pink invitations.

This was the once-in-a-lifetime chance for members of the public to share the pews with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

About 500 people had taken up the opportunity to apply for a place at the Anglican Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity for the Service of Thanksgiving yesterday morning.

The Rt. Rev Patrick White, Bishop of Bermuda, met the Queen as she arrived by horse and carriage and chatted to her as they walked up the cathedral steps together.

This was greeted by cheers and applause from flag-waving spectators who had lined the sidewalks of Church Street.

The Queen and Prince Phillip sat at the front of the cathedral, surrounded by Premier Ewart Brown and his wife Wanda plus other Cabinet members. The 45 minute service, which started at 10.30 a.m., was said to be a "service of thanksgiving for 400 years of human settlement in these fair isles."

Bishop White took the time to welcome everyone inside the Cathedral, those listening to the outside broadcast and those watching and listening at home.

He said the service would include lots of young people as "the youth are our future, but also our present."

The service included the hymns All My Hope on God is Founded and For The Healing of the Nations.

The hymns were sung by the amalgamated choirs of the Cathedral of The Most Holy Trinity, The Berkeley Institute Choral Performance Troupe and St. John's Youth Choir.

The congregation followed their instructions to stay seated as the royal party left the Cathedral at about 11.15 a.m.

The Queen remained straight faced as she walked up the aisle and out of the Cathedral. She did not have time to stop to talk to well-wishers, she simply returned to her waiting Land Rover in Church Street and was whisked off to Hamilton Ferry Terminal. Her next stop was Dockyard.