THIS summer will see the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Among the numerous celebrations this year to mark the Diamond Jubilee is a tour featuring music from the period as well as themes from TV and radio shows said to be favoured by HRH.

"I'll be guiding the audience through the Queen's life," says show host Jennie Bond, who knows more about it than most having been the BBC Royal Correspondent for 14 years.

"We start in 1926 when she was born, with Gershwin's Oh Lady Be Good, because that hit the West End in 1926. And then we've The White Cliffs Of Dover and We'll Meet Again for the war years. Then we get to the coronation.

"And because the Queen enjoys quite light television we're going to be featuring some of the theme tunes from Morecambe & Wise, Dad's Army, Last Of The Summer Wine and Coronation Street."

Additional songs will pay tribute to knights of the realm including Sirs Cliff Richard, Terry Wogan, Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Paul McCartney.

Joining the Manchester Concert Orchestra at the Royal Concert Hall will be guest singers including Rosemary Squires and James Graeme.

"It will be a unashamedly patriotic programme," says Bond.

"I'll be popping up and giving a few anecdotes about my life and times with the Royal Family."

Bond wrote a book about her experiences, Reporting Royalty, and contributed to Elizabeth: 50 Glorious Years, which was updated for the Queen's 80th birthday.

"It's a heck of a milestone as she's only the second monarch to serve for 60 years. And she's done a really good job. The Royal Family are in much calmer, safer, happier waters now."

This is opposed to when Bond was reporting on them for the BBC, which included the Charles and Diana divorce and Diana's tragic death. So how well did she get to know the Queen?

"Not very well is the answer. Part of the Queen's strategy is to remain a little bit of an enigma. Which is no bad thing, actually. We need them to be a little bit special and not to know absolutely everything about them.

"There is a hostility towards journalists, which I can fully understand because they had ten very tough years with the press. I think things are much smoother now.

"But I have had many pleasant if short conversations with the Queen at receptions around the world. And I've always tried to tell her a joke and make her laugh."

And failed?

"No! I sometimes failed but I have made her laugh on occasion. I tried to be a bit cheeky because I imagine it must be very boring having the same conversation with 500 people so I tried to be a bit off the wall.

"I knew Diana much better and had many long private conversations with her. And I've had tea with Prince Charles at Highgrove and Number Ten, so I know him pretty well. And Camilla is lovely. She's very down-to-earth.

"Philip? Oh, I've had my run-ins with him. He enjoys a spirited discussion and hates the tedium of having the same conversation, which is why he gets himself in deep water. Most of his gaffes are him trying to break the ice."

She believes the Queen would approve of the concert, which goes under the bulky title A Celebration of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert.

"She likes fairly light music, I think," says Bond. "She goes to the opera and the ballet but given the choice she'd listen to Radio 2, I would say. She's middle of the road. She's not into heavy classical music in the way that Prince Charles is."

Since leaving her role as Royal Correspondent, Bond, who lives in Devon with her husband and 21-year-old daughter, has presented Cash In The Attic, Rip Off Britain and Great British Menu.

She reached a new audience in the jungle for ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

"It's my reputation that I wanted to kick in the teeth by going into the jungle. I didn't very much like my reputation. It just wasn't me.

"It was wonderful to have a joke and be myself in the jungle."

The appearance opened up a whole host of opportunities, including Stars In Their Eyes.

"E-mails come in every day asking me to do different TV shows and if it looks like fun then I'll do it."