Queen Elizabeth II passes away at 96: A look at her 3 visits to India
Hindustan TimesQueen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday at 96. 1983 In 1983, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip visited India at the invitation of then- President Giani Zail Singh and stayed at the refurbished wing of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. She attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and on this visit, the Queen notably presented Mother Teresa with an honorary Order of Merit and also visited India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. 1997 Queen Elizabeth’s II final visit to India was in 1997, marking 50 years since India’s independence. In one of her addresses, the Queen said that she cherished the “warmth and hospitality of the Indian people” she received during her three state visits during her reign, and that “the richness and diversity of India itself has been an inspiration to all of us.” Over the years, the Queen has also hosted three Indian presidents – Dr Radhakrishnan in 1963, R. Venkataraman in 1990 and Pratibha Patil in 2009.