Queen Elizabeth yesterday officially opened the Welsh Assembly and described the new devolved body as "a bridge into the future".
In a landmark day for Wales and the British constitution, the queen said the Assembly represented a new beginning and "a notable moment in our nation's long history".
She said: "We have come together in the spirit of renewal to welcome and set upon its course a new institution for the people of Wales."
Large crowds, including hundreds of schoolchildren with faces painted in the Welsh colours, enthusiastically greeted the queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles at the Assembly's temporary home in Cardiff's revitalised dock-land area.
Unlike the state opening of parliament, the historic inauguration of a devolved institution was notable for its lack of traditional pomp and circumstance. However, the debating chamber ceremony, which lasted just 23 minutes, was still an emotional experience, with several Plaid Cymru members of the Assembly hugging each other when it was over.
Arriving in open carriages after the drive through Cardiff city centre, the royal party were greeted on the steps of the Assembly building by the presiding officer, Mr Dafydd Elis-Thomas, the equivalent of the Commons Speaker.
Queen Elizabeth was guided into the semi-circular debating chamber of the newest of parliaments where the 60 Assembly members stood behind their computer-topped desks.
In her speech she said the opening marked "a new and significant direction in the way Wales is governed. It is a moment of renewal, true to the spirit.
"I am confident that from the outset this National Assembly will be a vigorous, democratic workshop in which local knowledge, concern for the community, newly mobilised energy and a growing assurance will combine in the service of the Welsh people."
Prince Charles earned warm applause from Assembly members for his three-minute speech in Welsh, a language he studied at Aberystwyth University. His delivery and pronunciation were later described by a Plaid Cymru Assembly member, Mr Cynog Dafis, as "a brave effort".