The Queen was all smiles when she marked a Canadian military milestone by meeting troops from the country guarding her Windsor Castle home.

In the royal residence’s guardroom, the head of state spoke to soldiers from the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery on duty protecting the castle.

Her visit commemorated the 150th anniversary of the founding of regular elements of the post-Confederation Canadian Army.

The monarch acknowledged the Commonwealth soldiers by wearing her diamond maple leaf brooch, featuring the precious stones set in platinum and formed in the shape of the national emblem of Canada

Earlier this week, the troops with colleagues from the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA), supported by the RCA Band, became the first overseas forces to be given the honour of the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle since the pandemic began.

The Queen, who is the RCA’s Captain General, was informally dressed in a cardigan-style coat, blouse and skirt for the event at her Berkshire residence where she has spent much of the Covid-19 crisis.

After speaking to the soldiers, the Queen presented the Captain General’s Sword to servicemen from the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery on the Parade Ground.

The sword will be used every year to recognise “Exemplary Leadership in the Rank of Captain” by an officer selected from each of the regiment’s Regular and Reserve Force components.