Tens of thousands of well-wishers turn out for glimpse of the Queen at Stormont Sally Cochran, 70, and Sandra Yates, 67, both from the Shankill area of west Belfast, had set up chairs close to the main gates of the estate. "We are over the moon to be here," said Sally. My daughter tried twice to get us tickets and we couldn't believe it when she got lucky. This is such a historic day for the city - there's a lot of good feeling around. Frances Quigley, 19, a sales assistant from Carrickfergus, had taken a day off work to join the festivities. "My parents told me they thought this day would never come," she said. They couldn't get tickets but they wanted me to come along with my friends. I feel very privileged to be here. Ray Jones, 54, from Ballymena, said the day was an "emotional" one for many. Not so long ago I would have laughed if you'd said the Queen would be shaking Martin McGuinness' hand and driving through the front gates of Stormont. Yet here we are - this is the day. Helena Jamison, 39, a civil servant from Glasgow, had brought her husband Steven, daughter Chloe, five, and son Steven Jnr, one. The whole family wore union flags and were sitting on patriotic chairs. "Chloe says this is more exciting than any present she's ever had," Helena said. We've been up since 7am this morning. It's a great day for Northern Ireland's peace process and I'm very proud of the Queen for coming here. Elsewhere in the city, well-wishes queued outside the Lyric Theatre and Titanic museum, Her Majesty's other two stops of the day. In the grounds of Belfast City Hall, a small group of protesters were waving Irish flags and banners bearing republican slogans such as "Royals not welcome" and "Restore political status now." Throughout the city, the security presence was high - police cars were stationed at the City and International airports and along the approach to the Stormont Estate, while a number of helicopters circled the city during the day.