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President Pratibha Devisingh Patil will declare the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games open, denying the British royal family the traditional honour for the first time in the Games history. The Indian Government and Clarence House appeared to be at loggerheads over whether Prince Charles will be asked to declare the 2010 Games open. Senior Indian Government aides claimed that President Patil and not Charles would officially declare the Games open on next Sunday. The claims, made by officials from the Indian Department for Information and confirmed by sources from the Games' Organising Committee, raise questions over the role of the Prince of Wales trip to Delhi next week. However Clarence House insisted Charles will fulfill the duties originally intended for the Queen, The Daily Mail reports. It is the first time in 44 years since the Games were held in Kingston , Jamaica in 1966 - that the Monarch has not attended any part of the event, and it was expected that Charles would read out a message of support to the athletes on behalf of the Queen. "Although there has not been an official announcement, we have decided the President will open the Games. If the Queen was here it would be different. But she's not," said an Indian source. The British High Commission in Delhi had insisted it was delighted that Prince Charles would represent Her Majesty at the opening ceremony next Sunday.

President Patil to inaugurate Games, denying Brit royalty their traditional honour