Commonwealth nations worst hit by climate change: Queen Elizabeth ; India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Dressed in green silk, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, in her inaugural address at the CHOGM summit, urged the 53-member body of mostly former British colonies to take a united stand on climate change ahead of a major United Nations summit in Copenhagen next month since majority of the people most affected by, and least able to withstand, the changing global temperatures, live in Commonwealth nations. The Queen gave a call for the leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to "continue the pursuit of peace, liberty and progress, which means as much today as it did in 1949." It was her grandfather, George V, who started this grouping, and today, she is no longer head of the Caribbean republic. But of the 53 countries in the Commonwealth, 15 still have her as their monarch. Just today, people in the islands of St.Vincent and Grenadines voted to say that they want Queen Elizabeth to continue to be their head of state. A referendum vote saw more than 56 percent of the population rejecting the move to replace the Queen with a President. The Queen's visit is being feted with great fanfare. This is her third visit since 1966. There are welcome banners up for her as also Queen Elizabeth dolls being sold in the souvenir shops. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is not scheduled to meet her as he is meeting with his British counterpart, Gordon Brown. But the Queen will have several meetings with other heads of state or government. French Presdent Nicholas Sarkozy has come here without his glamorous wife, Carla Bruni. In fact, most heads of government have arrived in this balmy Caribbean town without their spouses. Fifty-three heads of state and no glamour. No spousal events to cover, unless you want to report on Prince Phillip who is in Tobago watching the re-enactment of a traditional wedding. So, all the interest is focussed on Queen Elizabeth II and her outfits. Yesterday, when she arrived here, she was dressed in a green silk dress which had a chiffon sheath on it. A green hat complemented the well cut outfit. Today, at the inaugural, she was dressed in a beige silk dress with a matching hat. A bit heavy on the lace and embroidery element, the dress was appropriate nonetheless, as it was a morning event.