HER Majesty The Queen officially opened the Queensferry Crossing, on Monday hailing it as a “breathtaking sight” across the Forth, alongside its iconic and historic neighbours.

She attended the ceremony alongside Prince Philip and cut the ribbon on the £1.35bn road bridge, exactly 53 years after she opened the Forth Road Bridge.

The bridge will, of course, have a significant affect on the economy of the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area as did both its neighbours when these were built.

Improving connections with the central belt and beyond is bound to help attract new industries to the area. As well as commenting on the magnificence of the bridge, the Queen said the new bridge would be an “important link” for so many in the community as well as its surrounding areas. She said: “The three magnificent structures we see here span three centuries, are all feats of modern engineering and a tribute to the vision and remarkable skill of those who designed and built them.”

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed by hundreds of people, including the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, school children and project officials at the south end of the bridge to cut the ribbon before making their way over the highest bridge in the UK. There was also a fly-past by the RAF’s Red Arrows display team and a flotilla of boats travelled under the bridge as the national anthem was played.

Her Majesty made a short speech in Fife and unveiled a plaque to mark the historic occasion before the crowds enjoyed music from local musician King Creosote and superstar KT Tunstall.

Ms Sturgeon also addressed the crowd, saying the creation of the bridge was an “outstanding achievement” as she thanked those involved in the project. She told them: “The nation’s heart is bursting with pride at what you have achieved.”

The bridge was also blessed by Church of Scotland Moderator The Right Rev Dr Derek Browning.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s appearance was marked as his first official event alongside the Queen, since he announced his retirement from solo royal engagements last month.

The official opening has been part of a week of events celebrating the new Queensferry Crossing, marking a decade since plans were drawn up for this feat of civil engineering.

Singer/songwriter Roddy Hart opened the ceremony telling the crowd: “This is your bridge”.

The bridge opened up to its first passengers in the early hours of Wednesday morning with many of the motorists sounding their horns as they travelled through.

However, traffic was stopped on Friday night so 50,000 could have the chance to be the only people in history to walk over on Saturday and Sunday.

A community day took on Tuesday before the Queensferry Crossing is permanently shut to pedestrians. The engineering marvel will re-open to vehicles on Thursday.

The 1.7-mile Queensferry Crossing is the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world and is now the third structure connecting the Lothians and Fife.

Douglas Chapman MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, including, Crossgates, Hill of Beath and Moss-side, said: “This is an outstanding occasion, with great performances from the likes of top Scottish acts King Creosote, Karine Polwart and KT Tunstall. The dull weather certainly didn’t dampen the spirits of an enthusiastic audience.

“There has been a real community spirit in all the bridge events and that’s down to the organisers and cheery volunteers.”