Queen Elizabeth II was, evidently, known to have a close affinity with Norfolk through staying at her beloved Sandringham Estate.

But the Queen also had a host of links to other parts of the county, including the Dereham and Fakenham area, stretching right up to Wells.

Fakenham & Wells Times: Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96 (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Occupying the army base at Swanton Morley, near Dereham, are the Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG), who moved to Robertson Barracks back in 2015.

The cavalry regiment was formed in 1959 - seven years after the Queen ascended to the throne - as an amalgamation of 1st King's Dragoon Guards and the 2nd Dragoon Guards.

The Queen Mother was its Colonel-in-Chief, as is King Charles III, who greeted soldiers and their families when he visited the base himself in 2016.

Fakenham & Wells Times: King Charles III met soldiers from the Queen's Dragoon Guards in 2016King Charles III met soldiers from the Queen's Dragoon Guards in 2016 (Image: Archant)

Also known as the Welsh Cavalry, the QDG are due to relocate in 2028 before the barracks closes for good.

Connections to this part of the world do not end there.

Sculthorpe, a small village near Fakenham is thought to played host to one of the Queen's last ever private visits.

Fakenham & Wells Times: Ian Brown, curator at RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre, gave the Queen a private guided tour in February 2022Ian Brown, curator at RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre, gave the Queen a private guided tour in February 2022 (Image: Kevin J. Osman/RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre)

Ian Brown, curator at RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre, had the privilege of giving her a private guided tour back in February, during which she showed "genuine interest" in the collection.

Mr Brown said the visit was a "wonderful moment for us as a small museum".

Dereham perhaps does not have any concrete connections to the Queen, but an enduring link with the Royal Family was established back in 1983 with the opening of the Queen Mother's Garden.

Fakenham & Wells Times: The Queen Mother's Garden in DerehamThe Queen Mother's Garden in Dereham (Image: Archant)

The Queen Mother herself was in attendance when the precious open space was unveiled almost four decades ago.

Work to revitalise the garden is ongoing as part of this year's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Up in north-west Norfolk, the Queen's frequent stays at Sandringham mean she built up a connection with the Holkham Estate over the years.

She is even thought to have had her own private beach hut on the coast.

Fakenham & Wells Times: The Queen had connections with the Holkham EstateThe Queen had connections with the Holkham Estate (Image: Archant)

One man has recalled a time he came to the rescue of Her Majesty after her Range Rover towing a horse box got stuck in mud at Holkham in Easter 1994.

Thom Goddard, 46, from London, said: “She’d gone for an early morning ride at Holkham beach, close to the family home of Sandringham.

“In fact, we only discovered it was the Queen when she wound down her window, waved her car phone and said: “I have no connection. Would one mind giving one a push?”

“And so we did. And she got out of the mud. And then drove off without saying ‘thank you’. Still makes me smile and a nice way of remembering her.”