US president welcomed by Royals

Wednesday, 19 November 2003 12:00 AM

US president George W Bush has been welcomed to the United Kingdom by the Queen.

Amid tight security the president was greeted by a 41-gun salute, meeting the Royals at the ceremonial stand at Buckingham Palace.

Tony Blair, military top brass, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and civic dignitaries were also in attendance.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh exchanged handshakes with Mr Bush and his wife Laura. There was no curtsey from Mrs Bush and no bow from her husband.

A specially built 'Royal Pavilion' with twin turrets, the Stars and Stripes bearing two presidential seals and a Royal coat of arms, sheltered the party.

Later today, the president will deliver an address at the Banqueting House in Whitehall to mount an impassioned defence of the invasion of Iraq.

He will then meet British families who lost loved ones in the September 11th attacks on the Twin Towers in New York.

In the evening, Mr and Mrs Bush will be guests of honour at a state banquet at the Palace.
Mr Bush's visit is expected to cost £5 million in security alone.

However, a shadow was thrown over arrangements by revelations published in The Daily Mirror today after one of the paper's reporters managed to secure a job at the palace for two months using false references.

Home secretary David Blunkett announced a review of Buckingham Palace security in the House of Commons today following the security lapse.

Mr Blunkett told the House of Commons that the Security Commission would conduct a thorough review.

Security and criminal checks were carried out "robustly and correctly," Mr Blunkett said, but added that "the employment checks proved insufficient".

The Stop the War Coalition estimates that around 100,000 demonstrators will march through London on Thursday against the president's visit.

Tags: