Four young guests at Tucker's Point Hotel had the holiday of a lifetime when they met the Queen.

Anthony Benevento, nine, and his seven-year-old sister Chessa, presented posies of roses to Her Majesty, along with cousins Teddy Stettinius, four, and Lucy Stettinius, two.

The children travelled to Bermuda from the US with parents Mary and Frank Benevento and Sarah and Ted Stettinius.

Mrs. Benevento, the sister of Mr. Stettinius, said: "We came here for Thanksgiving but didn't know it would coincide with the Queen's visit, so it was very exciting."

The vacationers purchased two bunches of roses, cream and pink, and made them into posies with local fauna.

The Beneventos, from Connecticut, and Stettinius family, from Washington DC, then joined other guests to watch the Queen arrive for the State Dinner on Wednesday.

"She walked through the lobby and saw the children, hesitated, and then came over," said Mrs. Stettinius.

"She said, 'Are those for me?', and the children each handed her their bouquet. She thanked them and then continued through the lobby.

"The children were enthralled. The Queen was dressed exquisitely and so the whole vision for them was mesmerising. They were in awe."

Mrs. Stettinius, a marketing and sales executive, said: "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see her, but to be so close to her, you really felt fortunate.

"It was quite a memorable evening for all of us, very special."