(9 Jul 1996) English/Nat
Britain is giving the red carpet treatment to Nelson Mandela, the man who smashed apartheid in South Africa.
In Britain, on a four-day state visit, the South African President is being hailed as a hero.
It's the first state visit to the country by a South African president.
President Nelson Mandela's state visit to Britain began according to tradition.
Met by the Princess Royal at London's exclusive Dorchester Hotel, the hero of apartheid was whisked off to Horse Guards Parade to inspect a guard of honour.
At 12.40 pm local time, a Royal gun salute boomed across the capital as the President's limousine glided into the parade ground.
The formal welcoming party, headed by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prime Minister John Major and several top ministers, bore all the traditional pomp and ceremony befitting a visiting head of state.
But the South African leader received a rather less formal welcome from the crowd.
More than six-thousand people had gathered at the square - the largest turnout for a head of state's welcome since the birth of television.
Chanting 'Nelson', 'Nelson', they waved South African flags and craned their necks for a view of the man who was once known as the Black Pimpernel.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth appeared pleased to meet Mandela. She made a highly successful visit to South Africa last year, and clearly enjoys Mandela's company.
The band of the Irish Guards played the South African national anthem, incorporating the last few bars of the old Afrikaans anthem, signifying the transition from old to new.
On Horse Guards Parade, President Mandela, wearing a smart, dark business suit, inspected the honour guard.
His walk was stiff, but he appeared as dignified as ever.
Then he and daughter Zenani joined their royal escort to parade down The Mall in open carriages to Buckingham Palace.
Later in the day, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh gave a state dinner in Mandela's honour.
The Queen Mother paid tribute to the South African President by attending her first Buckingham Palace state banquet in almost three years.
The 95-year-old Queen Mother sat on Mandela's right. The Queen was on his left.
The Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Princess Royal, and Princess Margaret were also present. As were Prime Minister John Major and senior cabinet ministers.
In all, around 200 guests were assembled in the sumptuous Palace Ballroom.
In her formal welcome to the guest of honour, Queen Elizabeth II stressed the close ties between Britain and South Africa.
SOUNDBITE:
Mr President, South Africa has a special place in my heart and in the hearts of the British people. Our two counties are bound together by history, by common interest and by ideals and aspirations.
SUPER CAPTION: Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen and Mandela then touched glasses in a toast to an even tighter bond between their two nations in the future.
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