The president of India is beginning a three-day state visit to Britain with a private lunch with the queen. President Pratibha Patil is to meet Queen Elizabeth II in the center of the town of Windsor, west of London. Accompanied by their husbands, they are then to travel to Windsor Castle by carriage and a white-tie state banquet is to be held Tuesday night at the imposing fortress, according to a report of The Associated Press. Pratibha, India"s first female president, and her husband Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat will be the queen"s guests throughout their visit. It is the first Indian state visit since 1990. The Indian President is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The queen last visited India in 1997.
