THIRTEEN-year-old Chloe Foster was crowned Alton Herald Carnival Queen 2012 during a ceremony at The Swan Hotel on Monday alongside her two Princess attendants, Freya May Kedge and Jessica Sole, both aged nine.

Decked in finery, they will head the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Carnival procession on Sunday, June 3, leaving The Butts at 5pm to travel through the town to Anstey Park for celebrations to include a jubilee fete, market and funfair and the presentation, at 7.30pm, of the prizes for the Carnival floats. The day will be rounded off with fireworks at 10pm.

The Carnival Queen and Princesses are pictured with their fellow contestants and with judges, Alton Town Mayor Sue Hodder, Alton Lions representative Margaret Willoughby, Darrell Copper, manager of Sainsbury's Alton, who donated three flat-screen digital TVs as prizes, and Simon Gibson, manager of The Swan Hotel, who provided the venue and the food.

For full coverage of the judging of the Carnival Queen and Princesses, see next week's Alton Herald.