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Patil's meeting with queen will mark some firsts

Later this year, Indian President Pratibha Patil will become the first female non-royal head of state to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth in her 57-year reign as British monarch.

  • IANS
  • Published: 22:53 July 5, 2009
  • Gulf News

London: Later this year, Indian President Pratibha Patil will become the first female non-royal head of state to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth in her 57-year reign as British monarch.

When "commoner" Patil visits Britain from October 27 to 29, she will be only the fourth female head of state to be staying with the Queen at her invitation - all the other 94 have been men.

Although the Queen hosts many female heads of state for receptions - some of them non-royal, such as the Argentine president - they have come on invitations from British prime ministers.

Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, for instance, was a commoner hosted by the Queen for a reception during the meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) countries in April, but she had come on an invitation issued by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Most of the women who have come visiting on the Queen's invitation have been the wives of heads of state, including President R. Venkataraman's wife Janaki in 1990.

"This is a very interesting fact," a spokeswoman for the Queen said. "But it's not very obvious at first glance," she added, going through the list of dignitaries who have visited Britain on the invitation of the Queen since her accession to the throne in February 1952 - a list that the spokeswoman said was comprehensive and accurate.

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