By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London: Queen Elizabeth II has briefed herself “very well” about President Pratibha Patil ahead of the latter’s state visit to Britain next week that is expected to add visibility and profile to already warm India-British ties, government and palace officials said Friday.
The Oct 27-29 visit, only the third by an Indian head of state after S. Radhakrishnan in 1963 and R. Venktaraman in 1990, is particularly keenly anticipated by the reigning monarch of Britain, whose subjects include nearly two million people of Indian origin.
Patil will stay at the grand Windsor Castle, an hour’s drive from London. She will be personally escorted to Windsor by Elizabeth II’s son Prince Charles – a man who has strong personal links with India – where she will be given a grand and ceremonial welcome in a carriage-driven procession.
Queen Elizabeth II is said to be “very well informed” about India’s president – a relative newcomer compared to the British monarch who has reigned for 57 years.
The visit is unique in several respects – no other head of state has the privilege of sharing a link with a diaspora that is as large as the one from India in Britain.
The Queen hosted a Bollywood dance at a Buckingham Palace reception held in advance of the visit Oct 13, and the choice of dance was said to reflect the artistic priorities of the Indian diaspora.
Patil is only the fourth female head of state to be hosted by the Queen – all the 95 others have been men.
The Queen has been following President Patil’s progress as the first female head of state in India – an aspect that is of “particular interest to the Queen”.
The Qhas been to India on three occasions, but the two have not previously met.
During her stay, Patil will also meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The visit comes at an important time, and amid growing business, trade and security ties.
Trade grew to a record 12 billion pounds in 2008 despite the global downturn, and the two countries also collaborate closely in the areas of counter-terrorism, security, climate change and the global economy as members of the G20 group of industrialised nations.
Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Brown consult regularly on a wide range of issues, including the global economic downturn and UN reform.
“It’s very important that we see this as a partnership,” a senior British official said.
The visit comes just ahead of the first anniversary of the 26/11 terrorist outrage in India – a fact that Patil’s hosts are extremely mindful of, in terms of the shared threat of terrorism the two countries face.