THE Queen has paid a private visit to an Army base in the region to pay her respects to the families of two servicemen killed in Iraq.

She visited the Queen's Royal Lancers, based at Cambrai Barracks, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, in her role as Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment.

She presented Operation Telic medals to the widow and mother of two soldiers killed in a friendly fire incident in the early days of the war in Iraq, and to the two servicemen who survived.

Corporal Stephen Allbutt, from Stoke-on-Trent and Trooper David Clarke, from Staffordshire, were part of a four-man crew in a Challenger II tank fighting Iraqi forces near Basra when they were mistakenly targeted by another Challenger in pitch darkness, on March 25, 2003.

A single tank round is believed to have blown off the turret of the Challenger, killing the two men.

The other crewmen, Lance Corporal Daniel Twiddy and Trooper Andy Julian, were both seriously injured and later discharged from the Army on medical grounds.

At the time, it was the first friendly fire incident involving British troops for some years.

The Queen presented the medal to Cpl Allbutt's widow, Debbie, with their two sons, Joshua and Connor, looking on.

Beverley Clarke, Tpr Clarke's mother, was presented with her son's medal with his two brothers, Dean and Paul, in attendance.

During a conversation with Mrs Clarke, the Queen expressed surprise that Dean was intending to join the regiment, despite his brother's death.

The Queen also opened the refurbished Bones welfare club, where she met soldiers and their families, before visiting both the officers' mess and the warrant officers and sergeants' mess, where she chatted with servicemen and women and their families.

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Hughes, commanding officer of the Queen's Royal Lancers, said: "It was particularly poignant for the Queen to present the Operation Telic medals to the families of the fallen, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in her name. Their memory will long be held in great esteem throughout the regiment.