The Queen yesterday made a historic address to a joint session of both houses of parliament stressing that she will remain on the throne to serve the people of Britain.

Scotching suggestions that she is considering stepping down in favour of Prince Charles, she said that she fully intended to continue as monarch.

"I would like above all to declare my resolve to continue, with the support of my family, to serve the people of this great nation of ours to the best of my ability through the changing times ahead," she said.

However, a poll for the Mirror and GMTV has found that 53 per cent would like to see the Queen retire.

A quarter would like her to go now, with 28 per cent believing she should continue for a few more years.