Queen applauds 'wonderful end' to Patil's Britain visit

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has praised the Indian-themed launch of the Queen's Baton Relay in London last week as marking a "wonderful end" to President Pratibha Patil's visit to Britain.

"It was both a colourful and impressive event and I know that it was enjoyed by all who took part," the Queen said in a congratulatory message to Suresh Kalmadi, the chairman of the organising committee for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

"It was certainly a wonderful way for Her Majesty and President Patil to mark the end of the President's state visit to the United Kingdom," the message said.

The launch of the Queen's Baton Relay, which traditionally flags off the countdown to the Games, was held at Buckingham Palace Oct 29 - the last day of Patil's three-day visit to Britain - at a colourful ceremony marked by performances of Indian music and dance.

Commonwealth Games Federation President Michael Fennell added: "It was certainly a good start to the countdown to October 2010 and I think it left a very good impression on all who attended and those who watched the ceremony on television."

In the past week, the baton has travelled through Britain covering Manchester, Birmingham and London, passing through the hands of champion sportspersons, community leaders and school children among others.

It was set to travel Saturday to Twickenham, where England and Australia will play a rugby match before 60,000 spectators, before moving on to Wales as part of a 190,000-km journey covering 70 Commonwealth countries and territories.

Last updated on Nov 7^th, 2009 at 17:30 pm IST--IANS