The Queen was honoured with a 21-gun salute as she met President George W Bush in Washington DC on the final leg of her US visit. Standing outside the White House, the Queen said Britain and America had a "close and enduring" friendship. The president said the Queen was "a good person, a strong leader and a great ally".
The White House said 7,000 guests were invited to the arrival ceremony for the Queen. Film star Mickey Rooney, 86, greeted the Queen with a kiss on the hand and said afterwards he enjoyed meeting the monarch. "It was a great thrill.
She said she was happy to be here," he said. Earlier in the trip, the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, fulfilled a long-held ambition to watch the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Louisville. Her visit to the first permanent English settlement in the US, in Jamestown, Virginia, marked its 400th anniversary.
In Virginia, the Queen extended her sympathies to those affected by the shootings at Virginia Tech last month. The tour is the Queen's first carbon-offset state visit, where a donation is made to an environmental charity to offset the plane journeys made by the royal party. On Monday night, 134 guests will return for a state dinner - the first in George W Bush's presidency to demand a white tie dress code.
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