The Queen is rarely spotted out shopping, but keen-eyed Bracknell residents would have seen her in their town’s flagship department store.

She visited Fenwick as she toured the £240 million makeover of the town centre, which has seen post-war buildings demolished and a social, shopping and cultural destination created.

She also conducted a brief walkabout to meet some of the thousands of well-wishers who had gathered in the Berkshire town to greet her.

Among them was Krista Martin, 34, who was with her nine-month-old daughter Freya.

Ms Martin, from Bracknell, said: “She asked if I live in the area and said about the town centre ‘what a transformation’.

Queen in Bracknell
The Queen looks at the hats for sale in Fenwick (Henry Nicholls/PA)

“I think they have done an amazing job, the money and time they have put into it, it’s a town I’m proud to come into and just mooch around in.”

In the department store, Angela Basten, occasion hat buyer for Fenwick, showed the Queen some of the creations on offer to customers.

She pointed out an unusual £895 hat by milliner Rachel Trevor-Morgan, who had also created the hat worn by the Queen for her visit, and another made by Vivien Sheriff from partridge and goose feathers costing £995 that looked like a snug fit.

Queen in Bracknell
The Queen waves to the thousands of well-wishers who had gathered to greet her (Henry Nicholls/PA)

Ms Basten said: “We showed her the Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat and she commented on its unusual teardrop shape and said she’d never worn that shape.”

Speaking about Princess Eugenie’s recent wedding, she added: “When we were looking at the Vivien Sheriff hat she said it would have been good for the wedding because it wouldn’t have flown off – she was making reference to what a windy day it was.”

The Queen was shown around the department store by Hugo Fenwick, the fifth generation of the Fenwick family to be involved with the business and its store development director.

Queen in Bracknell
The town’s shops were keen to welcome their royal visitor (Andrew Matthews/PA)

She stopped at the stand of skincare company Clarins – which holds a royal warrant from the Queen and is rumoured to supply the monarch with lipstick and hand cream.

Danielle Wing, 35, a skincare specialist with Clarins, chatted to the royal customer and said afterwards: “We know she’s a huge fan, we’ve got her royal warrant and she said the counter was lovely and bright and easy to see.

“I don’t think she was tempted to buy, but I’m sure she gets it sent straight to where she wants it to go. She was lovely and very welcoming.”

Earlier, the Queen began her visit to Bracknell in the Bull pub, parts of which date back 400 years.

Queen in Bracknell
The Queen received flowers from a number of well-wishers during her visit (Henry Nicholls/PA)

There she met members of Bracknell Forest Borough Council, who have been involved in the regeneration work, and viewed displays charting the history of the project.

Bracknell’s Lexicon shopping centre now features new retail outlets and restaurants, and cultural and sporting events have been staged in the town centre to draw people in.

Mr Fenwick said after the visit: “It is the most wonderful transformation of a town centre and we’re so proud to be the flagship store of this town, and it really is bringing the heart back to Bracknell.

“What Bracknell has lacked for so long since it became a new town in the 50s is a sense of the country coming into the town.”