Close to 8,000 people greeted the Queen and Prince Philip in Fredericton Friday -- the first stop on the brief Maritime leg of her Canadian visit.

The royal couple was greeted on the tarmac in Fredericton by Lt.-Gov. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell and federal Labour Minister Claudette Bradshaw after arriving on a Canadian Forces Airbus from Toronto.

The Queen was then driven to welcoming ceremonies at the Old Government House, where she was greeted by Premier Bernard Lord and a group of local dignitaries.

Following a 21-gun salute and her inspection of the guard of honour, the Queen smiled warmly as she spent several minutes speaking with the crowd, accepting bouquets and gifts.

Resident Doug Parr showed his solidarity with the monarchy, displaying a poster board of photos of the royal family along with a sign that read: "Happy Golden Jubilee. Don't believe John Manley and some Acadians. We, the majority of Canadians, love you and want the monarchy."

Deputy Prime Minister John Manley, who will be the Queen's escort in Ottawa, recently made comments suggesting Canada should sever its ties with the monarchy after the Queen's reign ends.

In his welcoming address, Lord indicated that New Brunswick will commemorate the Queen's visit by endowing four scholarships in her honour, one for each of the province's universities. The awards are to be known as the Golden Jubilee Scholarships.

Lord's office revealed Thursday that the royals will be presented with a painting of New Brunswick's provincial flower, a purple violet. The work was created by Fredericton artist Bruno Bobak.

Inside Old Government House, the Queen attended a reception for the first-ever Order of New Brunswick awards. Recipients included Harrison McCain, the founder of McCain Foods Ltd., and former Liberal premier Louis Robichaud.

The royal couple will be busy on Saturday, travelling by helicopter to Sussex, where the Queen is to unveil a plaque at an elementary school, and then on to Moncton for a ceremony at the airport and a performance by Acadian artists.

From Moncton, the Queen will fly to Ottawa, the final stop on her tour. She'll spend Sunday and Monday in the nation's capital before returning home to London on Tuesday morning.

The Queen, dressed in a brilliant red matching hat and coat, left for Fredericton Friday afternoon after a two-day tour of southern Ontario.

A group of Ontario Provincial Police officers were among those on hand for her departure. Other dignitaries attending the farewell included federal Transport Minister David Collenette, Ontario Premier Ernie Eves and James Bartleman, the province's lieutenant-governor.

Before leaving Toronto, the Queen herself doled out a gift - giving Eves a framed portrait of herself and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, signed by the royal couple.

On Thursday night, The Tragically Hip, Oscar Peterson, dancer Rex Harrington and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra entertained the royal couple at a gala evening in Toronto.

During the day, the Queen went to Oakville, about 30 minutes away from Toronto, to get a first-hand look at the world-renowned animation program at Sheridan College. Then Her Majesty travelled to Hamilton to present new regimental colours to Argyll and Sutherland, a regiment of which she is colonel-in-chief.

Prince Philip stayed in Toronto, where he went to Massey College at the University of Toronto to be inducted as the first Honourary Senior Fellow of the College.

Afterwards, he presented Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, to honour youth who have followed a program of physical and mental development. At one point during the presentation, the unpredictable prince strayed from the itinerary while greeting the winners when he spied two sets of twins and decided to spark a love connection.

Upon coming across twin brothers Adam and Matthew Baxter, he dashed a few steps over to the spot where he had just met twin sisters Kathyrn and Ashley Houlden of Toronto. To everyone's surprise, he grabbed the girls and made a formal introduction between the two pairs. There were smiles and red faces all around.

"It was fun, but kind of embarrassing," Ashley told CTV affiliate CFTO.

"It was a bit random... to have them pull you and go: I've got people for you to meet," said Kathryn Houlden. "It was kind of cool, though."

"I definitely didn't expect anything like that," said Adam Baxter. "I thought this'd be a very formal ceremony but you have to keep it light sometimes."