Queen praises UK-US partnership

WASHINGTON – The Queen has delivered a strong defence of the special relationship between Britain and the US.

At a White House banquet, she said “the lesson of my lifetime” had been that the partnership “was always to be reckoned with” in defending freedom. The monarch and her husband were guests of honour at the dinner hosted by US President George W Bush and wife Laura.The five-course banquet was the first in Mr Bush’s presidency to demand a white tie dress code.Earlier, more than 7 000 people, including US cabinet and congress members, attended a reception on the White House lawns.At the evening banquet, the Queen toasted the UK’s friendship with the United States.”Administrations in your country and governments in mine may come and go, but talk we will, listen we have to, disagree from time to time we may, but united we must always remain,” she said.Her speech looked back at the partnership between the two countries during her reign as Queen.”I would like to recognise that steadfast commitment your country has shown not just in the last 16 years but throughout my life in support of a Europe whole and free,” she said.The Queen, President Bush, Prince Philip and Laura Bush outside the White House “I grew up in the knowledge that the very survival of Britain was bound up in that vital wartime alliance forged by Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt.”The monarch went on to say how the two countries, and those of Europe and the Commonwealth, now faced different threats.”In recent years, sadly, both our nations have suffered grievously at the hands of international terrorism,” she said.”Further afield, whether in Iraq or Afghanistan, climate change or the eradication of poverty, the international community is grappling with problems certainly no less complex than those faced by our 20th century forebears.”She said: “Divided or alone we can be vulnerable, but if the Atlantic unites not divides us, ours is a partnership always to be reckoned with in the defence of freedom and the spread of prosperity.”Bush also spoke of co-operation between the countries and said “friendships remain strong when they are continually renewed”.”Together we are supporting young democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.”Together we’re confronting global challenges such as poverty and disease and terrorism.And together we’re working to build a world in which more people can enjoy prosperity and security and peace.”The Queen dressed in a white Stewart Parvin fitted bodice and chiffon skirt wore the Queen Mary tiara.The banquet, for 134 guests, included pea soup, Dover sole and a saddle of spring lamb rounded off by farmhouse cheeses.BBCThe monarch and her husband were guests of honour at the dinner hosted by US President George W Bush and wife Laura.The five-course banquet was the first in Mr Bush’s presidency to demand a white tie dress code.Earlier, more than 7 000 people, including US cabinet and congress members, attended a reception on the White House lawns.At the evening banquet, the Queen toasted the UK’s friendship with the United States.”Administrations in your country and governments in mine may come and go, but talk we will, listen we have to, disagree from time to time we may, but united we must always remain,” she said.Her speech looked back at the partnership between the two countries during her reign as Queen.”I would like to recognise that steadfast commitment your country has shown not just in the last 16 years but throughout my life in support of a Europe whole and free,” she said.The Queen, President Bush, Prince Philip and Laura Bush outside the White House “I grew up in the knowledge that the very survival of Britain was bound up in that vital wartime alliance forged by Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt.”The monarch went on to say how the two countries, and those of Europe and the Commonwealth, now faced different threats.”In recent years, sadly, both our nations have suffered grievously at the hands of international terrorism,” she said.”Further afield, whether in Iraq or Afghanistan, climate change or the eradication of poverty, the international community is grappling with problems certainly no less complex than those faced by our 20th century forebears.”She said: “Divided or alone we can be vulnerable, but if the Atlantic unites not divides us, ours is a partnership always to be reckoned with in the defence of freedom and the spread of prosperity.”Bush also spoke of co-operation between the countries and said “friendships remain strong when they are continually renewed”.”Together we are supporting young democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.”Together we’re confronting global challenges such as poverty and disease and terrorism.And together we’re working to build a world in which more people can enjoy prosperity and security and peace.”The Queen dressed in a white Stewart Parvin fitted bodice and chiffon skirt wore the Queen Mary tiara.The banquet, for 134 guests, included pea soup, Dover sole and a saddle of spring lamb rounded off by farmhouse cheeses.BBC