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| Queen begins US trip in Virginia | Queen begins US trip in Virginia |
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| The Queen has begun her first trip to the US for 16 years and is due to visit Virginia to meet survivors of the worst college shooting in US history. | The Queen has begun her first trip to the US for 16 years and is due to visit Virginia to meet survivors of the worst college shooting in US history. |
| The 81-year-old monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Virginia's Richmond Airport, on a British Airways plane, for the six-day East Coast tour. | The 81-year-old monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Virginia's Richmond Airport, on a British Airways plane, for the six-day East Coast tour. |
| The official state visit will end with two days in Washington DC with President George Bush. | The official state visit will end with two days in Washington DC with President George Bush. |
| The Queen's last visit in 1991 was when President Bush's father was in power. | The Queen's last visit in 1991 was when President Bush's father was in power. |
| She was dressed in a lilac wool coat and dress with coral trimming for her arrival on Thursday. | She was dressed in a lilac wool coat and dress with coral trimming for her arrival on Thursday. |
| There was some delay in the royal party disembarking their aircraft as officials and workers struggled to get the steps to reach the plane door and line up the red carpet. | There was some delay in the royal party disembarking their aircraft as officials and workers struggled to get the steps to reach the plane door and line up the red carpet. |
| A crowd of an estimated 5,000 people in Richmond's Capitol Square were told through a PA system: "The Queen has landed". | A crowd of an estimated 5,000 people in Richmond's Capitol Square were told through a PA system: "The Queen has landed". |
| Workers' day off | Workers' day off |
| All state workers in Virginia have been given the day off for the royal visit at a cost of almost £6m ($11.9m). | All state workers in Virginia have been given the day off for the royal visit at a cost of almost £6m ($11.9m). |
| But officials said the visit's benefits in terms of tourism and publicity would outweigh this cost. | But officials said the visit's benefits in terms of tourism and publicity would outweigh this cost. |
| The Queen's programme is aimed at forging bonds between Britain and the US and focusing on their shared future. | The Queen's programme is aimed at forging bonds between Britain and the US and focusing on their shared future. |
| The Queen will pay tribute to the victims of last month's Virginia Tech shooting, in which a gunman killed 32 people, and is expected to meet survivors and bereaved families. | The Queen will pay tribute to the victims of last month's Virginia Tech shooting, in which a gunman killed 32 people, and is expected to meet survivors and bereaved families. |
| Cadets from the college will line the steps up to the state capitol, where the Queen will deliver her keynote speech to the Virginia assembly. | Cadets from the college will line the steps up to the state capitol, where the Queen will deliver her keynote speech to the Virginia assembly. |
| The Queen will visit Jamestown on Friday to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the US's first permanent English settlement. | The Queen will visit Jamestown on Friday to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the US's first permanent English settlement. |
| There have already been calls for her to apologise for the introduction of slavery and slaughter of American Indians. | There have already been calls for her to apologise for the introduction of slavery and slaughter of American Indians. |
| Teabag | Teabag |
| She will also fulfil a lifelong dream by attending the Kentucky Derby at the Churchill Downs racetrack at the weekend. | She will also fulfil a lifelong dream by attending the Kentucky Derby at the Churchill Downs racetrack at the weekend. |
| The finale will be two days in Washington DC, where she will be entertained by President Bush, visit a Nasa space centre and meet some GI brides who left Britain for a new life across the Atlantic during the World War II. | The finale will be two days in Washington DC, where she will be entertained by President Bush, visit a Nasa space centre and meet some GI brides who left Britain for a new life across the Atlantic during the World War II. |
| Crowds turned out for the monarch's visit | |
| The box-office hit film The Queen, for which Dame Helen Mirren won an Oscar, is thought to have increased US interest in the visit. | The box-office hit film The Queen, for which Dame Helen Mirren won an Oscar, is thought to have increased US interest in the visit. |
| It will be the fourth state visit to the US by the Queen and the Duke, following tours in 1957, 1976, for the US Bicentennial, and 1991. | It will be the fourth state visit to the US by the Queen and the Duke, following tours in 1957, 1976, for the US Bicentennial, and 1991. |
| They also visited Ronald Reagan in 1983. | They also visited Ronald Reagan in 1983. |
| It was revealed on Wednesday that Mr Reagan wrote in his diaries how the Prince was, "horror of horrors", served a cup of tea with the teabag left in it. | It was revealed on Wednesday that Mr Reagan wrote in his diaries how the Prince was, "horror of horrors", served a cup of tea with the teabag left in it. |
| The Queen's carbon footprint will be calculated and offset for the first time for a state visit. | The Queen's carbon footprint will be calculated and offset for the first time for a state visit. |