The Queen uses marble walking stick as she makes a surprise appearance for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations

Royals fans were surprised to see The Queen showcase a new walking stick, with a marble handle, on Thursday, as she made an appearance at Trooping of the Color.

• The Queen received the handcrafted gift from the army, which also had engravings on it
• The Monarch had previously been seen without a walking aid, after some health troubles
• In other royal news, Meghan Markle shows off her 'fun parenting' skills as she jokes with royal kids

The Queen showcased her new walking stick, as she made her only public appearance of the day - on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Royal fans weren't sure if we were going to see her celebrate her big achievement, as she didn't appear with other royals as they waved to fans earlier on Thursday.

However, the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations wouldn't have been the same without a public appearance from the royal herself. So fans were delighted when she led her family out to the famous balcony to admire the celebrations and wave to royal fans, accompanied by her new walking stick - which has been gifted to her by the army.

The walking stick, which was made by Cumbria-based traditional stick maker Dennis Wall, was gifted to her by General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, chief of the general staff.

In March, the Queen ditched her walking stick after mobility issues but has recently been seen using one - including a couple of weeks ago when the Queen made a surprise appearance to ride on the underground. 

Last October the Queen had an overnight hospital stay and fans grew worried about her health - but she's since recovered and been seen at numerous public events.

The Monarch, who will spend four days celebrating during the UK bank holiday, with the rest of the royal family clutched the wooden stick, made of mottled hazel, to keep herself mobile.

During her brief appearance, she spoke with Prince Louis, who stole the show with his cheeky face-pulling, while she also waved at the crowds who had gathered to see her on Thursday. Since her health troubles the Queen has been seen with various walking sticks - sometimes even using one of Philip's out walking sticks to help aid her walking.

The walking stick was also engraved with an army crest and a symbol of gratitude from them, which says, “The Army presents its loyal support to THE SOVEREIGN. Platinum Jubilee MCMLII-MMXXII”.

General Sir Mark said about the gift, “It was a great privilege in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee to hand over a small token of our gratitude and appreciation of our sovereign’s contribution to the Army over the last 70 years.

“We wanted something useful and relevant and always to hand that represented our loyal support and which Her Majesty might find helpful. “And this beautiful walking stick, fashioned from mottled hazel with a Highland Cow horn handle, fitted the bill perfectly.