Queen Elizabeth congratulates John and Frances Canning in a surprise appearance at their wedding

John and Frances Canning, a delighted British couple, have told how their wedding day was given the royal seal of approval when Queen Elizabeth walked in on the ceremony.

John and Frances Canning could hardly believe their eyes when Queen Elizabeth accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh walked into the room moments after they had tied the knot at Manchester Town Hall.

The royal couple had been attending a lunch with 200 local volunteers in an adjacent room, and the Queen had asked if she could pop in to congratulate the bride and groom.

Delighted bride Frances Canning said: “It was bizarre that she knew our names. She said: <<Hello John, Hello Frances>>.”

Around 40 guests watched in amazement as the Queen, Prince Philip, and several royal dignitaries lined up to congratulate the couple.

Groom John Canning, 48, from Prestwich, a big fan of the royal family, described the Queen’s visit as the “icing on the cake”.

Businessman John Canning said: “She commented on how beautiful Frances looked in her dress and wished us all the best for the future.”

He chatted with Prince Philip while his bride posed with the Queen for a few photos.

John Canning added: “He was lovely man. He even asked where in Italy we were going on our honey moon.”

The couple had booked the town hall for their civil wedding in 2011 and were told they would be sharing the venue with an “V.I.P.”.

When they discovered who it was John Canning, jokingly wrote to Buckingham Palace to invite the them to the celebration, but had received a reply politely declining the offer.

But the Palace decided to make their dream come true and got in contact with Manchester City Council to arrange the surprise.

Frances Canning told the Manchester Evening News: “We never dreamt we would be able to meet her.

“When we had our ceremony, the staff asked us to wait for a moment in the corridor and just a few minutes later the Queen arrived.

“She knew both our names and apparently we had been especially added to her rota.’”

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in November last year.

They wed at Westminster Abbey in 1947 with the ceremony broadcast by BBC radio to 200 million people around the world.

During her day in Manchester and Salford the Queen visited four hospitals and toured the BBC’s new headquarters at MediaCityUK.