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| Queen making Slovenia state visit | Queen making Slovenia state visit |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will begin a two-day state visit to Slovenia later, at the invitation of the country's president, Danilo Tuerk. | The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will begin a two-day state visit to Slovenia later, at the invitation of the country's president, Danilo Tuerk. |
| It will be the first time they have been to the country since it gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 and joined the EU in 2004. | It will be the first time they have been to the country since it gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 and joined the EU in 2004. |
| They will visit the home of Slovenia's Lipizzaner horses, where the Queen will be presented with a white stallion. | They will visit the home of Slovenia's Lipizzaner horses, where the Queen will be presented with a white stallion. |
| The royals will then travel to Slovakia to meet President Ivan Gasparovic. | The royals will then travel to Slovakia to meet President Ivan Gasparovic. |
| The trip to Slovenia has been organised to celebrate the country's achievements during its short history and will include a state banquet and a walkabout in the capital Ljubljana. | |
| It will also give the Queen a chance to indulge her passion for horses. | |
| She will be given a tour of the stud farm for the Lipizzaner horses, the breed used by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. | |
| She will also get to meet her stallion, but he will stay behind when she returns to the UK. | |
| Once in the Slovakian capital Bratislava, the couple will attend a ceremonial reception organised by British ambassador Michael Roberts. | |
| Prince Philip will take part in a discussion on climate change organised by the British Council in Slovakia and the Queen is expected to open a friendly ice-hockey match between local team Poprad and UK side Guildford. | Prince Philip will take part in a discussion on climate change organised by the British Council in Slovakia and the Queen is expected to open a friendly ice-hockey match between local team Poprad and UK side Guildford. |
| The royal couple are also expected to visit the Tatras mountains close to the Polish border. | |
| Their last state visit was to meet the King and Queen of Belgium in July 2007, to mark the 90th anniversary of the battle of Passchendaele. |