The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have visited Google's headquarters to recognise the achievements of youngsters who were successful in the company's latest contest.

Google's doodle - the logo which periodically changes at the top of the search engine's main page to match anniversaries, birthdays and major events - caught the attention of hundreds of schoolchildren across the country, with the winners meeting Her Majesty.

Upon her visit, the doodle was also specially redesigned in the Queen's honour for the day.

The Queen has been well known in recent years for her embrace of popular culture and modern technology, having launched the royal family's official website at a school in 1997 and sending an email for the first time in 1976 from an Army base.

It was revealed at the beginning of the year that the octogenarian monarch was something of a games fan, having enjoyed grandson Prince Harry's Christmas present of a Nintendo Wii from his girlfriend Kate Middleton.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).