The Queen welcomed foreign dignitaries to a Buckingham Palace reception before attending the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. Photo Credit: PA
Before the Olympic Games kicked off on Friday (July 27), with a spectacular opening ceremony, prominent members of Britain’s Royal Family gathered in the Buckingham Palace ballroom to welcome around 190 special guests with a glamorous reception, say reports.
Kate warmly welcomed Michelle Obama (who she has met once before) to the reception at Buckingham Palace before the Olympic opening ceremony . Photo Credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe.
Prince Harry was on hand to chat with the President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba and his wife Sylvia. Photo Credit: Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images.
Princess Beatrice (R) had conversation with the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Omurbek Babanov (L) and Rita Birbaeva. Photo Credit: Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images.
Visitors to the palace— including presidents, prime ministers and princes— were welcomed with royal conversation and canapes, reports the Telegraph.
On offer were Quail’s eggs with celery salt, smoked duck with melon, white cheese with caramelised nuts, smoked salmon on blinis, and miniature vegetarian Cornish pasties, according to the Telegraph.
The Queen said a few words to her guests about the Games: “Over recent months many in these islands have watched with growing excitement the journey of the Olympic torch around the United Kingdom, “ she told onlookers. “As the torch has passed through villages and towns it has drawn people together in families and communities. To me the spirit of togetherness is a most important part of the Olympic ideal, and the British people can be proud of the part they have played in keeping the spirit alive.”
She added: “In all our national Olympic teams there is so much of which we can be proud; groups of young men and women dedicated to excellence and achievement across numerous sporting disciplines.”
Among others, those present at the event included: America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama; Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault; Italian President Giorgio Napolitano; Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller; Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev; German President Joachim Gauck; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon; and Queen Sofia of Spain.
Members of the British royal family in attendance included: the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Harry; the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall; The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; the Duke of York; Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie; the Earl and Countess of Wessex; the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.
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telegraphtv:The Queen welcomes world leaders to London 2012 Olympics
