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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Leaders Present Gifts to The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh

20 October 1997

Commonwealth leaders, gathered in Edinburgh for their largest summit ever, today presented Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh with special gifts to mark their 50th Wedding Anniversary. The presentation was made by the Sri Lankan President, Mrs Chandrika Kumaratunga, on behalf of her colleagues, at the Queen's banquet for Commonwealth leaders at Holyroodhouse at the end of the opening day of the Heads of Government Meeting. The major part of the gift is a contribution to the newly-restored St George's Hall at Windsor Castle. The Commonwealth has financed the crafting of an elaborate piece of decorative plasterwork, known as a tresillian, which has been mounted high on the end wall of St George's Hall and immediately behind the statue of the King's Champion. The centre piece of the tresillian is the Commonwealth emblem of a globe surrounded by rays in the shape of the letter "c".

Heads of Government are also giving the Queen and Prince Philip gifts of a more personal kind. Each is to receive a painting by the celebrated British artist, Emma Faull. The Queen will receive a picture of Green Peacocks (Pavo Muticus) and the Duke one of Golden Pheasants (Chrysolophus Pictus). These two species of endangered birds were once common in Commonwealth countries of Asia from Pakistan to Singapore but have now disappeared or are extremely rare. They are pictured by the artist in their natural habitat.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Anyaoku said: "When the idea of a gift to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh was first mooted, I was overwhelmed by the warmth, the speed and the generosity of the response from Heads of Government. There is a very real desire not only to suitably mark such a happy occasion as a 50th Wedding Anniversary but, above all, to express admiration and deep gratitude to the Queen for all she has done as Head of the Commonwealth since assuming that role in 1952."

Note to Editors:
The artist, Emma Faull, was born in 1956 and is a well-known ornithologist and painter of birds, especially endangered species. She was educated at St Hilda's College, Oxford, and in Greece. In 1986 she was commissioned by the Keeper of the Queen's Pictures to paint a pair of bird pictures as a present from the Royal Household to Her Majesty for her 60th birthday. She has held numerous solo and shared exhibitions in Britain and abroad, produced Wedgewood plate designs of rainforest birds and published a book of Endangered Birds of the World with 200 colour prints of her paintings. She lives in Jersey.

Issued by the Information and Public Affairs Division,
Commonwealth Secretariat,
Marlborough House,
Pall Mall,
London SW1Y 5HX,
Britain.
Tel: 0207-839 3411;
Fax: 0207-839 9081;
Telex: 27678

97/55 20 October 1997

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ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int