Officials refused to disclose the value of the gifts. An unspecified donation was also made to the Diamond Jubilee Trust.

The Prime Minister dismissed warnings from some quarters that the Queen was crossing a constitutional line by attending the Cabinet.

“We are her Cabinet, we operate for her. She was set in the seat where the Prime Minister traditionally sits and, given it’s her Cabinet, she can come any time she wants,” he said.

Sky’s royal commentator Alastair Bruce said: ”It is significant because in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year it puts a focus on what headship of the state is all about and that is supervising the democratic process.”

The Foreign Office has also announced that the southern part of British Antarctic Territory is to be named “Queen Elizabeth Land” to mark the jubilee. The region is a barren, landlocked ice and snow-covered area uninhabited by people and virtually devoid of animal life.

Ministers lined up to shake hands with the monarch before they all went into the final Cabinet of the year. The Queen took her chance during the meet-and-greet to quiz George Osborne about Britain’s gold reserves. She then sat between Mr. Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague for her half-hour stint at the famous Cabinet table. The Queen is thought to be the first monarch to attend Cabinet since George III in 1781, despite earlier claims Queen Victoria did so. She only stayed for the first section before leaving ministers to their discussions and moving on the Foreign Office. During the meeting, Mr. Cameron offered her a “very warm welcome” and congratulated her “on a fantastic jubilee year”. He said Downing Street had researched the last monarch to visit Cabinet and believe it dates back to the 18th century. George IV, the Queen’s father, met Cabinet during World War II, but apparently did not go to the standard meeting.

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