Britain's Queen Elizabeth in Istanbul

Paying a four-day official landmark visit to Turkey, Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip yesterday evening hosted a reception in honor of President Abdullah Gul and his wife First Lady Hayrunnisa, aboard the British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in Istanbul, on the third day of her visit. Many leading figures from politics and business circles also attended the reception. On the Istanbul leg of her visit, the queen firstly visited Kabatas High School and met with British and Turkish students, and also attended an activity called "Joint Science Project between Schools." She later visited the British-Turkish design exhibition at Istanbul Modern Museum. The queen and the prince later took a boat tour along the Bosphorus. Gul and his wife Hayrunnisa, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and his wife, and British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband also joined the cruise. On the last day of her visit, tomorrow, the queen will return to Ankara and attend a garden party at the British Embassy.