Hopes of getting a glimpse of the Queen were dashed for hundreds of schoolchildren when the Royal car failed to drive past them as expected this morning.

Primary school pupils from across the borough were invited by Merton Council to line Cedars Avenue to welcome the Queen as she approached St Mark’s Academy for her Royal visit.

But excitement soon turned to disappointment when, instead, she turned right from Manor Road on to Tamworth Lane.

Many were "left in tears" after the car completely bypassed nearly 1,000 children who waited for an hour with flags on a cold and wet May morning.

Mrs Sheila Niedbala, who lives in Commonside East, said she was “almost in tears” as she waited in vain alongside her three grandsons, who attend St Thomas of Canterbury Roman Catholic school.

She said: “All the kids had flags and everything.

"There were officials handing out flags to the kids on Cedars Avenue and they all had them ready to wave.

“I was standing on the corner and I saw the car zoom off down Tamworth Lane and the kids saw nothing – it was so disappointing.”

Mrs Niedbala said nearly 1,000 children, aged between six and 11, were lined three-deep along Cedars Avenue.

Another resident, Polly Unsworth, said: "Being a resident and asked to line Cedars Avenue and Tamworth lane it was very upsetting to see how many children were left in tears when the royal car did not enter Cedars Avenue at all, several schools were lining the route."

Andy Stephen added: "Just a real shame that loads of schoolchildren, including ours, were waiting for the Queen and at the last minute changed route, wasting our time, and not alone all the kids from the local schools, that especially made their own flags for the royal visit, a real let down at most."

Children from St Thomas’s and Cranmer Primary School had walked to Cedars Avenue from across Mitcham Common to attend this morning event, in which the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had lunch at St St Mark's Academy with 13 mayors from south London councils.

But, Mrs Niedbala added, teachers and parents were not given answers when they discovered they were welcoming an empty street.

She said: “I asked an official what was going on and they said they didn’t know.

“Then I asked the police who said they were just told to patrol Cedars Avenue, which they did.

“I think the Queen should be told what has happened here today.

“It is so annoying because the kids must have been frozen after waiting for an hour in the cold.”

A Merton Council spokesman said (via Twitter) this afternoon: "Thanks everyone who made the Queen's visit special.

"The route of the royal car was planned with the Palace. We're looking into what happened."

Were you among those who missed out? Contact us by calling 020 8722 6335; tweeting @WimbledonNews, or email Omar at: ooakes@london.newsquest.co.uk.