Queen Elizabeth's Pink Carpet Treatment

25 November 2009

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth was given a pink carpet when she arrived in Bermuda.

The 83-year-old monarch is in the Caribbean island for an official visit to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Bermuda's settlement by the British, and instead of the usual red-carpet laid out for her she was given a shocking pink one to reflect the famous colour of the local beaches.

The queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh were greeted by Bermuda's Governor Sir Richard Gozney and Premier Ewart Brown when their chartered jet touched down.

The queen arrived in the Territory 56 years to the day since she first travelled to the island on November 24 1953.

There was speculation her visit had been put in doubt after a diplomatic row between Bermuda and Britain over the arrival of former Guantanamo Bay detainees on the island.

The deal to allow the four men to be transferred to Bermuda was agreed between America and the Bermudan government without consulting British officials.

US authorities had concluded the former detainees were not enemy combatants.

A Foreign Office spokesman said a security assessment completed with Bermuda police found the men did not pose a significant risk.