With thousands of sightseers and well-wishers thronging around the palace gates, the Queen is due to attend a reception for Queen’s Award for Enterprise winners this evening.

Twelve printing industry companies were among the winners this year.

Pureprint won its award for sustainable development. The Uckfield firm’s sales and marketing director Richard Owers will attend the event with finance director Ian Brown.

Owers said: "We don’t know whether to walk down the Mall and fight our way through the crowds, or get a taxi. It’s going to be incredibly special, especially on this day of all days."

Inkjet developer Inca Digital won an award for international trade, and the official presentation was carried out at the firm’s Cambridge HQ by the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire last Friday (19 July).

Technical author Paul Witcomb-Vos and electro-mechanical technician Clive Hayward were en route to today’s event at the Palace.

"We are excited and a bit nervous, but really looking forward to it. It’s a great honour for us, and who could have guessed the timing would work out like this?" said Witcomb-Vos.

"It’s going to be fantastic – the arrival of the royal baby gives it an extra level of amazingness!"

For a full list of this year’s print-related winners, see earlier story here.