THE widow of Everest climber Wilfrid Noyce enjoyed an evening out in the presence of the Queen and Prince Philip last week.

Rosemary Ballard, of Colwall, was an invited guest at Endeavour on Everest, a royal gala event marking the 50th anniversary of the ascent of the world's highest mountain.

Held at the Odeon, in Leicester Square, the event featured surviving members of the 1953 expedition including George Lowe, George Band, Charles Wylie and Michael Westmacott. Sir Edmund Hillary could not be there because he was attending anniversary events in Nepal.

"We were picked up from my son's house in Windsor in a wonderful Audi and driven to the cinema," said Mrs Ballard. "The Queen and Prince Philip were sitting just a few seats away from us."

Sildes and films of the expedition were shown and team members talked about their experiences on the mountain. This was followed by a reception for expedition members and relatives in an 18th Century palace overlooking St James's Park.

Wilfrid Noyce, for some years a teacher at Malvern College, played a leading role in the expedition. He was picked to ascend the South Col, one of the most difficult parts of the climb and a necessary step towards the final assault on the summit.

He was killed in 1962 in a mountaineering expedition in the Pamir Mountains of Russia.