Alan Brooke, Lord and 3rd Viscount Brookeborough, has paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, describing her as "a remarkable person" who was fantastic at communicating with people.

Viscount Brookeborough – who has been the Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh since 2012 – was appointed Lord-in-Waiting to The Queen in 1997.

Viscount Brookeborough.

Viscount Brookeborough.

In 2018, he was appointed by Her Majesty as a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, of which there are fewer than 24 members.

"She was the most wonderful person to be involved with, because she was always interested in everything that everybody did.

"And of course, her knowledge of virtually everything is more than virtually everybody else's," Viscount Brookeborough told The Impartial Reporter, paying tribute to Her Majesty.

"She was fascinating to be with, and she was great fun."

Viscount Brookeborough recalled his first meeting with The Queen, which was a number of years before he was asked to be a Lord-in-Waiting.

"We were on holiday in Scotland, and staying with the Grosvenor family, or Westminsters, who used to live at Ely Lodge.

"We had normal holiday clothes, and we were told that we were going out to supper the next night.

"We asked, 'Where?', and were told we would find out," he told this newspaper, going on to explain that the royal yacht had come up the coast about 10 minutes away from where he was staying.

"We went down to a little harbour, and got on a little boat, and we went out to the royal yacht, and we had supper with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, and whoever else was there, in a very relaxed way indeed.

"And that was the first time that I met her," he said, noting how although he met The Queen on a few occasions following their first meeting, after he was asked to be a personal Lord-in-Waiting, he met her more frequently.

Talking fondly about the late monarch, Viscount Brookeborough said: "She was always so interested in everything and she would smile with a big twinkle in her eyes when she would ask you about something, or how something went.

"When I had throat cancer, [it was] my first duty back and we were at the arrivals lunch for a state visit, and she came straight across the room and said, 'Oh my goodness, it's nice to see you. How are you?'

"But she would do that for anybody, because she was always fully aware, and she was a person's person," he said.

Viscount Brookeborough last met with The Queen at Royal Ascot in June.

"We stayed for two nights at Windsor Castle during Royal Ascot this year. It was 10 or 11 weeks ago and she didn't go racing this time.

"She didn't come in the carriage processions, but she was there for every meal, and she was there to hostess," he told this newspaper, adding: "She was wonderful, and she talked about Northern Ireland because she loved Northern Ireland, but she talked about everything. Whatever the subject was, it was just fun to talk about.

"Anybody who met her came away thinking 'Wow', and it was this smile and twinkle in her eye [that everyone remembered]."

Talking about how he will remember Her Majesty The Queen, he said: "I remember her for being the most fantastic person, and you could call her Elizabeth the Great.

"She was the most fantastic person for communicating with people, and for making people feel, regardless of who they are, that she was talking to them, and they were the most important people in the world.

"When she came to County Fermanagh and crossed the street between the two churches, that was really significant, and it wasn't all about 'head of state' level, she actually brought it down to the people level.

"We stayed many times at the different [royal] residences and every time she was amazing, and she even showed you to your room and checked that everything was all right, she was that sort of host.

"She was a remarkable person," added Viscount Brookeborough.