During these events, she opened buildings, met residents and bolstered the spirits of servicemen and women. 

When a new princess was born on April 21, 1926, few expected she would ever be Queen.

But an unexpected turn of events would see Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary accede to the throne at the age of 26 and become head of state. 

Read more: Southampton pays tribute to Her Majesty

Read more: Some of our favourite pictures of the Queen in Hampshire and Southampton

Echo (Image: Echo)

Born third in line to the throne, Princess Elizabeth was schooled at home with her sister Margaret.

Their lives took an unexpected turn in 1936, when her uncle, Edward VIII, renounced his throne so that he could marry a divorcee, Wallis Simpson. 

Elizabeth’s father became George VI and she became his heir.

Echo (Image: Echo)

A Daily Echo article from the time of the Princess's birth read: “Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of York, gave birth to a princess at 2.40 this morning. 

“The happy event took place at No. 17 Bruton Street, the London residence of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. This is their Majesties’ first granddaughter. 

“The Home Secretary, Sir William JoynsonHicks, was summoned to Bruton-street in accordance with custom where births in the Royal Family are concerned, and was present in the house at the time of the birth.”

Read next: What happens now the Queen has died? Operation Unicorn explained

In 1946, Princess Elizabeth made one of her first recorded visits to Hampshire, when she visited Romsey Abbey for the wedding of Patricia Edwina Mountbatten and Capt Lord Brabourne.

There she mingled with the rich, famous and her future husband Prince Phillip of Greece.

The couple married the following year and on the day after their wedding, November 21, 1947, Elizabeth’s bouquet was laid on the grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey. The couple then travelled to Romsey to begin their honeymoon on Broadlands estate. 

King George VI wrote to his daughter: “You were so calm and composed during the service and said your words with such conviction that I knew it was alright.’’

Then, on February 6, 1952, the Southern Daily Echo carried the stark news: “King George the Sixth is dead.’’ 

The Union Jack flew at half-mast over Southampton’s Civic Centre as the country grieved and prepared for a new Elizabethan era. 

Great Britain and the Commonwealth now had a young monarch as Princess Elizabeth immediately became Queen after her father’s death.

A year later and children were waving their Union Jacks and streamers as the south joined the nation on the streets, clapping and cheering with joy to celebrate the day Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.

Elizabeth came to Hampshire as Queen in 1955 where she spent the weekend on a private visit to Admiral Earl Mountbatten and Countess Mountbatten in Broadlands, Romsey.

She attended the morning service at Romsey Abbey, and although it was not previously announced she would attend the event, a large crowd gathered outside the Abbey in anticipation of her visit.

She expressed her pleasure at attending the service and what she called “this lovely church.”

That same year she visited the King’s Rifle Corps in Winchester for their 200th anniversary.

On the way to the Guildhall, where she spoke with people in the swelling crowds, Her Majesty walked along the path of Winchester College Meads, watched by hundreds of children, college boys and adults.

Her Majesty and Prince Philip were guests at Romsey’s charter celebrations on April 6, 1957. 

It was a double pleasure for them. They were returning again to the scene of the beginning of their honeymoon nearly 10 years before.

The celebration was to mark that 350 years previous King James I granted a royal charter to the borough. 

The Queen and Prince Philip’s car drove through the narrow crowd-lined streets of Romsey to the marketplace and town hall where they were received by Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who was High Steward of Romsey.

The ancient city of Winchester greeted Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh in a joyful mood on June 8, 1959. Their visit was contrasting to the previous one as grey skies, chilly winds and gusting rain attempted - but failed - to dampen spirits.

The crowds erupted in great applause when the Queen, in her speech, declared Hampshire County Council’s £600,000 offices open and announced the building would be known as Elizabeth II Court.

In June 1966, Southampton’s streets were awash with red, white and blue as locals waved flags and welcomed the Queen and Duke to the city.

The royal couple were in the city to lunch at the Civic Centre, to open the new Ocean Terminal and to pay a visit to Southampton University.

The Queen was in Winchester in 1967 to inspect the Royal Green Jackets before she returned to Southampton later in the year.

Pictures were taken of Her Majesty and Prince Phillip as they embarked on Britannia at Berth 107.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was a regular visitor to Southampton and the Solent. 

Time and time again, Britannia would berth in Southampton docks to embark the Queen, together with other members of the Royal Family, 

Two years later and the Queen was back in Southampton for two major events.

After visiting QE2 at Southampton Docks to wish her well on her maiden voyage the following day, the Queen travelled through the people-lined streets of the city before visiting the then-new Ordnance Survey headquarters in Maybush. 

Thousands of cheering employees along with their families and friends greeted the royal couple when they arrived for the opening ceremony.

Another busy day out for the Queen came in 1974 on a visit to Southampton. So busy was the day that she ran late - but her unwavering professionalism didn’t allow her to miss a single item off the itinerary.

The highlight of the Queen’s visit for many people was when she went for a stroll on the Civic Centre forecourt, stopping to chat with people along the way. 

The Queen asked Laura Mitchell of Wolseley Road, Fremantle, if she lived in the area.

Hampshire celebrated two very important birthdays on April 12, 1979, and welcomed two very important guests to the festivities. 

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh came south to say ‘Happy 900th Birthday’ to Winchester Cathedral and to the New Forest.

They were greeted by seasonal April showers. Amid cheers from thronging crowds, celebrations of the two 900th birthdays gave the royal visitors a day of remarkable contrast. 

In Winchester, the ancient capital of England, all was pomp and finery as the county’s leading figures gathered for a cathedral service and a huge lunch. 

In the New Forest, it was a quieter time with walks and carriage rides in still-damp woodlands and countryside.

Southampton’s Western docks were the background for the Queen’s official public engagement on August 5, 1983, before she set off for her summer holidays. 

Three generations of the royal family were on the top deck of the Britannia as it steamed out of 106 berth for a cruise to Aberdeen before the family went to Balmoral.

Her Majesty was back in the port in 1990 when thousands of spectators turned out to cheer as she conducted a Royal review of Cunard vessels and naval ships in the Solent. 

More than 2,000 guests and passengers crammed the decks of Cunard’s flagship, the QE2, to cheer as the Royal Yacht Britannia sailed past.

The Queen visited the Royal Green Jackets in 2005, and then to Romsey in 2007 to celebrate the market town’s 400th anniversary.

In bright summer sunshine, hundreds of children who had been given the morning off school stood patiently behind the security barriers eager to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty while residents hung out of overlooking windows to get a better view.

Then there was the naming of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth in 2010, her visit to the New Forest show in 2012, and the naming of Britannia in 2015.

Although that was her last visit to the area, the Queen has been prominent in the hearts and minds of Hampshire residents - especially during the death of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh in 2001 and her Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year.

And now, as the country mourns her death, she will continue to be in the hearts and minds of those people and will be remembered fondly by all that lived under her long and unfaltering reign.