Washington - Queen Elizabeth II remembered the sacrifices of
World War II by placing a wreath at a US memorial in Washington
Tuesday as she wrapped up a six-day visit that took her from the
founding of the first British colony in the New World to the
frontiers of space.
Elizabeth, 81, remembered the alliance between her nation and the
United States during World War II and the cooperation between Winston
Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt in a toast at a White House state
dinner Monday night.
'For those of us who have witnessed the peace and stability and
prosperity enjoyed in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe over
these postwar years, we have every reason to remember that this has
been founded on the bedrock of the Atlantic Alliance,' she said.
Touring the memorial accompanied by the current president's
parents, former president George HW Bush and his wife, Barbara,
Elizabeth stopped to chat with veterans.
'I'm very impressed by this,' the monarch clad in a royal blue
coat and hat and white gloves told one older man wearing a hat
identifying him as a veteran.
The memorial opened in 2004, and the veteran noted the many years
it had taken for the memorial to be built.
'Yes, we're all getting old,' the queen replied.
Earlier Tuesday, Elizabeth, in a lemon-coloured coat and matching
hat, toured NASA's Goddard Space Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland and
heard from astronauts aboard the International Space Station via a
video link.
Last week, Elizabeth visited Jamestown, Virginia, which is
celebrating 400 years since its founding as the first British colony
in the New World. The queen, an avid horse fan, also attended the
Kentucky Derby.
In a speech at the White House Monday, Elizabeth called her visit
'a window on the future' of US-British relations, and said she was
looking forward to seeing 'something of how the cutting edge of
science and technology can take us to the next phases of discovery
and exploration in human endeavour.'
At the space centre, the queen met with school children and
employees, viewed exhibits on space and planted a tree.
She also toured a children's hospital with First Lady Laura Bush
Tuesday afternoon.
The queen attended a white-tie dinner with President George W Bush
on Monday evening. She is to depart Tuesday evening after
entertaining the Bushes and other luminaries at the British
ambassador's residence.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
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