Queen 'moved' by Jubilee support

The queen has met thousands of people during her three month tour

PRESTON, England -- Queen Elizabeth II has thanked the public for their affection at the end of her summer tour of the UK to mark her 50 years on the throne.

On the last day of the final leg of her Golden Jubilee summer tour, she said she had been "profoundly moved" by the public response.

It had been "a summer of great joy and happiness", she said.

She made her remarks in Preston, north-west England, on Monday, where an estimated 30,000 turned out to greet her and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

She said: "I would like to take the opportunity of this last day of my final Jubilee summer tour to express my gratitude not just to you here in Preston and Lancashire, but to everybody throughout the United Kingdom for the warmth of the welcome I have been given by you all during these memorable past three months.

EXTRA INFORMATION In depth: Queen's Golden Jubilee

"I have been profoundly moved by the affection shown and by the warmth of the response to my Golden Jubilee.

"It has been for Prince Philip and me a summer of great joy and happiness, and a celebration of all that binds us together as a nation -- the heritage of our past, the values of our present and the shared challenges of the future that lies ahead.

"I thank you all for your loyalty and support."

The 15-week tour began in May in Falmouth, Cornwall, southwest England, since when the queen has visited dozens of communities in all four corners of the nation.

The high point was in June with a four-day celebration of fireworks, concerts, royal processions and services of thanksgiving in London.

The success of the tour and its related events are in contrast to the personal tragedies the queen has had to face in her jubilee year.

The queen with Sir Paul McCartney and other stars at the jubliee pop concert in June

Her sister, Princess Margaret's death was followed several weeks later by the death of the Queen Mother.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace in London is marking the Queen's Golden Jubilee with an exhibition of gifts received by the monarch during her 50-year reign. (Full story)

The exhibition, which opened on Monday, includes more than 200 state gifts from across the world.

The exchange of gifts between rulers is an ancient custom and the objects on display have been chosen from the 1,500 which have been presented to the Queen since 1952.