Judging by the reception she received in Lithuania this week, Queen Elizabeth's popularity extends far beyond her home turf. The 80-year-old monarch's arrival in the country at the start of a tour of three Baltic states, brought thousands of cheering Lithuanians onto the streets to welcome her.
The monarch spent Tuesday meeting her many flag-waving fans and pupils at the Vilnius Children's School of Art who had made a special exhibition for her. "The children were very moved to talk with her," said one teacher. However "they weren't sure she was the Queen because she wasn't wearing a crown and a long dress," she added.
No-one would have had problems recognising her regal status that evening, though, as she attended a lavish state banquet wearing a glittering diamond tiara and floor-length ivory gown. And adding extra fizz to the evening was the champagne used for a shared toast between the British monarch and the Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus.
Queen Elizabeth wasn't the only royal enjoying hospitality abroad this week. Queen Silvia of Sweden was in northern Germany where she began a two-day tour at a Scandinavian school in Hamburg, greeted by songs from the pupils. It is something of a homecoming for King Carl Gustaf's wife, however, as she was born in Germany and working as an interpreter there when she met her future husband during the Munich Olympic Games. The couple, who were married four years later, have three children together.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
