A BOOK given to a young girl when The Queen was crowned, has returned "home" after 70 years.

Brenda Cruttenden was 12 when Her Majesty was crowned and was given a book entitled Elizabeth Our Queen, by Richard Dimbleby.

The book contained a foreword written by the then mayor of Hastings, and was given to her through her school.

It was published nationally, and included a photo of Princess Elizabeth visiting Hastings in May, 1951.

Brenda, now 82, said: “I no longer need the book and I thought it would be nice to return it to the mayor’s parlour.

"I was very pleased our current mayor agreed to accept the book. It means a lot to me that the book, with the foreword being written by a previous mayor, will be welcomed as part of the town’s mayoral history in the parlour."

The Argus: Hastings royalty book 060222

Hastings mayor, councillor James Bacon, said : “This was a very kind gesture by Brenda, I will make sure the book is kept in the mayor’s parlour in the town hall as a fitting souvenir to HM The Queen’s 70 years on the throne.”

Brenda, whose maiden name was Challacombe, handed the book to the mayor outside the town hall on Sunday, February 6, the day of the Queen’s platinum jubilee.