Crowds lined the streets to see the Queen

They were introduced to a number of officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

A fanfare was played by the band of the Royal Irish Regiment.

Many of the guests at the garden party are involved in voluntary, community and public service.

The Queen's engagements began on Wednesday with an inter-denominational service at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast to mark her 50 years on the throne.

Cross section

Cheering crowds lined the street outside the cathedral, as the Queen and Duke arrived for the first engagement of the day.

The Queen turned at the top of the cathedral steps to acknowledge the crowd with a broad smile and wave.

The Royal couple was introduced to the four main church leaders - Dr Robin Eames and Dr Sean Brady, Archbishops of Armagh and Primates of All Ireland, Dr Alistair Dunlop, Presbyterian Moderator, and the Reverend Harold Good, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland.

Two SDLP ministers were among the congregation

Attending the service were about 1,000 people representing a cross section of people from throughout Northern Ireland.

The Queen later visited the Royal Ulster Agricultural Show at Balmoral in south Belfast.

The Queen met SDLP Agriculture Minister Brid Rodgers and viewed a display on the 'Vision for the future of the agri-food industry' in Northern Ireland.

On Tuesday, the Queen and Prince Philip visited the Northern Ireland Assembly, the first time the couple had been to Stormont in almost 50 years.

The Queen told politicians that the assembly offered the opportunity to build trust and a new Northern Ireland.

She met representatives of all the parties, with the exception of Sinn Fein during her visit to Stormont.

'Respect'

First Minister David Trimble, who welcomed the Queen to Stormont along with Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan, said he felt the nationalist politicians who had turned out to greet the Queen had "done the right thing".

Mr Durkan said the decision to meet the Queen had not been a difficult one to make.

About 1,000 attended the service

During Tuesday's engagements the Royal couple attended separate events at Hillsborough Castle in County Down.

The Queen presented charters conferring city status to Lisburn and Newry, while Prince Philip attended a garden party and presented 100 Duke of Edinburgh awards.

Earlier, the Queen visited the site of a terrorist bomb which killed 29 people in Northern Ireland.