1.
GV Queen & Prince Philip lay wreath at monument (2 shots)
0.08

2.
SV Horsemen escort Queen (2 shots)
0.14

3.
LV Portraits in lights of Queen and President
0.26

4.
SV Queen arrives for state dinner
0.35

5.
GV ZOOM IN Guests in traditional costumes as Queen enters
0.45

6.
SV Pressmen
0.48

7.
GV Queen speaks as guests applaud (2 shots)
0.56

8.
GVS Dancers and musicians during display (3 shots)
1.10

9.
GV Horsemen (next day) entering rodeo
1.15

10.
SV Queen watches as horsemen entering (5 shots)
1.34

11.
GV PAN Man rides bucking horse
1.42


"The wreath-laying ceremony was more than the usual sombre event. It was an excuse for an escort of 'charros' -- traditional horsemen who paraded before the Queen.



"At night, when the Queen drove to the National Palace, she saw the city lit up... and again that extra touch -- portraits of herself and the President brilliantly set out in coloured lights.



"The state dinner, and the huge courtyard of the old National Palace, was quite unlike most state dinners. The Queen wore a tiara; but the President had suggested that, instead of formal evening dress, the guests wear traditional regional costumes. And, again, the event was a mass of colour. The Queen talked about a new chapter in relations between Mexico and Britain and the need for understanding between nations. Since this was described as a 'Mexican evening' and not a formal state dinner, once again the emphasis was on entertainment.



"The horsemen who escorted the Queen at the wreath-laying ceremony were around again next day. But -- this time -- the whole event was devoted to the riding skills of the Mexican horsemen.



...It's called a Charraria' or rodeo, and it's been going on in some form or another for four hundred years. The Mexicans call this a form of art. It's also an intensively competitive sport, and the way many make their living. But, art, sport or work it's undeniably one of the most exciting and traditional spectacles the country has to offer."




Initials ET/216 ET/230


THIS FILM INCLUDES AN ENGLISH COMMENTARY BY BBC REPORTER JOHN HUMPRYS. A CUE TRANSCRIPT IS GIVEN BELOW FOR GUIDANCE:

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Britain's Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip have been entertained in a relaxed, colourful and traditional way at the beginning of their six-day state visit to Mexico.

On Monday (24 February) evening the royal couple were the guests of Mexican President Luis Echeverria at a state banquet at the old National Palace. But even this formal occasion was lifted from the usual pomp and circumstance. For the President had given word that the guests should display the traditional regional costumes of Mexico. The Queen, however, remained tied to protocol and wore a classic evening gown and diamond tiara.

Even the solemn wreath-laying ceremony earlier in the day was enlivened by the presence of a group of horsemen in traditional costume -- known as 'Charraria', or Mexican rodeo.