Queen begins six-day visit to US

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The 81-year-old monarch, who last set foot on American soil in 1991, will be joined by the Duke of Edinburgh for the six-day East Coast royal tour, which begins in Virginia.

The Queen's last stay in America came in the wake of the first Gulf war as President George Bush's father was in power. As she returns more than a decade later, yet again there is a Bush in the White House and continued bloodshed in Iraq, amid criticism of the president's policy.

It is the Queen's first trip to America since the second Gulf war, the escalation of the fight against terror and the devastating attacks of 9/11.

Security will be heightened around the high-profile VIP with the Secret Service taking the lead in protecting her.

The Queen will not be heading to New York to see Ground Zero, instead her programme is aimed at forging the bonds between Britain and the US and focusing on their shared future.

While in Virginia, the Queen will pay tribute to the victims of the worst college shooting in American history, which left the state reeling at the murders. She is expected to meet some of those directly affected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech while at Richmond's Capitol building - possibly survivors or bereaved families.

Cadets from the college will also line the steps up to the Capitol. Inside, the Queen will deliver her keynote speech to the Virginia assembly and is expected to make reference to the killings.

It will be the first time the monarch has been in the US since the death in 1997 of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The box-office hit film The Queen, for which Dame Helen Mirren won an Oscar, is likely to have increased interest in the visit. More than 20,000 people entered a special lottery for 54 front row seats for the Queen's walkabout in Richmond.