13 November,2015 07:41 PM IST | | IANS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived at the Buckingham Palace where he was received by Queen Elizabeth II who will host him for lunch on the second day of his three-day visit to Britain
London: In a signal honour to India, Queen Elizabeth II hosted a luncheon banquet in Buckingham Palace for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, the second day of his three-day visit to Britain.
"In a special gesture usually reserved for Heads of State, the Queen hosted PM @narendramodi for a luncheon banquet," Vikas Swarup, external affairs ministry spokesperson, tweeted.
The queen earlier received Modi when he arrived at Buckingham Palace after attending a meeting of the UK-India CEOs' Forum.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Buckingham Palace in London on Friday. Trade deals worth £9 billion will be announced during Modi's visit to Britain, David Cameron said Thursday, as Modi indicated he wanted the UK to stay in the EU. Pic/AFP
A photograph showing Modi in conversation with the British monarch inside Buckingham Palace was also attached to the tweet. Modi was wearing a white kurta-pyjama with a maroon Nehru jacket.
After lunch, the queen showed the visiting prime minister a display of artefacts from the Royal Collection.
"After lunch, The Queen showed PM @narendramodi a display of artefacts from #RoyalCollection #ModiInUK," BritishMonarchy tweeted along with a picture of the two.
"Building on the bonds of history. PM @narendra Modi calls on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," tweeted Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs.
Prior to this, Modi, along with British Prime Minister David Cameron, attended a meeting of the UK-India CEO Forum at Lancaster House here.
The Indian PM began the day by continuing bilateral parleys with Cameron at the Chequers, the countryside retreat of the British prime minister. Modi was hosted by Cameron to a private dinner on Thursday at the Chequers and he spent the night there.
Later on Friday evening, Modi will address around 60,000 people of Indian origin at the iconic Wembley Stadium here.
This will be followed by a reception in his honour by India's High Commissioner to Britain, Ranjan Mathai.
