AND SO DOES THE QUEEN MAKE HER WAY TO
(ANKARA
– Turkish Daily News (May 14, 2008)
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh began a
four-day state visit to
their
first to the country in almost 40 years.
State Minister Mehmet Aydın welcomed the royal couple at
the airport, but no welcoming ceremony was held. The Queen and Prince Philip visited the mausoleum of
Later in the day, the royal couple attended a state banquet hosted by President Abdullah Gul and his headscarf-wearing spouse, Hayrunnisa, at the Cankaya Presidential Palace.
Gul and the
Queen addressed the guests during the banquet at Cankaya, which
was broadcast live on state television. In his speech, Gul touched upon the
strong friendship between
The royal visit highlights the importance of
Another interesting scene from yesterday's state event was
the performance of Doguş Children's Orchestra, one of the four leading groups in
the world comprised of 91 talented youth selected from every
The Queen and Prince Philip will travel to the
northwestern city of 
In
The Queen will watch a “Karagoz-Hacivat” puppet theater
show, visit the Green Mosque and listen to Koran recitals, while her husband,
who is interested in technology, will tour the TOFAŞ automotive factory.