The queen a 'great mother, great parent'

PRINCE Andrew today led birthday tributes to the Queen, calling her a "great mother and a great parent".

The Queen is 80 today and among the 20,000 birthday cards and messages of goodwill was a glowing testimony from the Prince.

He said: "The Queen is a great mother and a great parent, and so too is the Duke of Edinburgh, and we used to have wonderful fun. It is the calmness with which the Queen operates, nothing ever seems to fluster her."

Prince Andrew also called her a "consummate parent" and an "outstanding monarch who has no equal".

Prince Andrew revealed how he and his bothers used to play football in the corridors at Buckingham Palace and how he used to hide behind the sofa while his mum watched Doctor Who. Meanwhile, Prince Harry was carrying out his first official engagement since passing out of Sandhurst today when he visited Glasgow.