Contrary to expectations the British royalty's rules are not that rigid and the Queen’s request was only for sticking to times stated in the program say Turkish sources. President Gül is expected to wear a black tuxedo at a state banquet in honor of the Queen

FULYA ÖZERKAN
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will begin a historic visit to Turaaa today for the first time since 1971 with any misperceptions about rigid protocol procedures having being cast aside.

Accompanied by a delegation including her private secretary the Queen will arrive in the Turkish capital in the evening and will first visit the mausoleum of Turaaa's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. President Abdullah Gül and his headscarf-wearing spouse Hayrünnisa will receive the British monarch at the Çankaya Presidential Palace and host a state banquet in her honor.

Questions about today's event were centered on protocol rules because at dinners attended by the Queen women wear long evening dresses while men wear black tuxedos and Gül has not been seen in such attire to date. However this time the president will wear a black tuxedo at the banquet according to presidential sources.

Contrary to expectations the British royalty's rules are not that rigid and the Queen's request was only to abide by the stated times in the program said the same sources. International protocol rules will be applied during the visit they noted.

How to greet the Queen has also become a matter of interest. The Turkish press largely questioned whether Turkish leaders would curtsy or bow to the Queen. But the presidential sources said Turkish officials were not expected or asked to bow to the Queen in her presence.

Both the president and the Queen will address almost 240 attendees at the state event at Çankaya which will be broadcast live on state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).

Doğuş Children's Orchestra one of the four leading groups in the world made up of 91 talented youth picked from each and every province of Turaaa will perform on the night at the special request of the Queen.

On Wednesday the Queen and the Duke will travel to Bursa in northwestern Turaaa. Presidential sources said the Queen has read many books about Turaaa and Bursa in particular before the trip and chose the sites she will visit on the basis of what she read.

In Bursa the Queen will attend a fashion show “Reflections of the Past in the Present” with the contributions of Ankara Olgunlaşma Institute and participate in the Women Entrepreneurship Congress. To see bits of Turkish culture and history the Queen will watch a “Karagöz-Hacivat” puppet theater show visit the Green Mosque and listen to Koran recitals while her husband who is interested in technology will tour the TOFAŞ automotive factory. Turaaa's First Lady Hayrünnisa will accompany the Queen on her Bursa visit.

On Thursday the British royalty will be in Istanbul and go to the Kabataş School on the Bosporus to observe a joint event with schools from northern England and then will view an exhibition of iconic design items at the Istanbul Modern Museum. In the evening the Queen and the Duke will host a reception on board the British aircraft carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. Turkish sources said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband will accompany the Queen on the Istanbul leg of her visit.

On Friday the British monarch will return to Ankara and attend a garden party at the British Embassy in her honor an event which will be a formal farewell and an early birthday party for the Queen.



An anecdote

A veteran journalist and a respected columnist for daily Cumhuriyet newspaper recalled an anecdote about the Queen's first visit to Turaaa in October 1971. Özgen Acar told the Turkish Daily News that a ball was held for the Queen on the last stop of her visit that encompassed trips to Ankara İzmir and Çanakkale and that he was also invited.

But Turkish journalists were tired after a days-long chase of the Queen and wanted to take a break on the last day preferring to drink at Istanbul's famous Çiçek Bazaar. Acar who also joined the other reporters instead of attending the ball at the British Consulate said that his phone rang and it was John Hyde the then-press attaché at the Consulate asking him if he was attending the ball because he was scheduled to open the first dance with Princess Anne. But Acar had unfortunately missed the historic opportunity.