18 MAY 2005

The Queen received an old-fashioned "family" welcome when she arrived in Canada on Tuesday. Her Majesty was greeted by a group of Cree Indians, who refer to the monarch as their "grandmother", when she touched down in the Saskatchewan capital of Regina.

Members of the First Nation Indian group beat their drums and chanted an "honour song" to show their appreciation for the royal visitor, whose great-great grandmother Queen Victoria promised their community land rights, free education and health care.

Dressed in a fur-trimmed suit of burnt orange, in recognition of the Saskatchewan's traditional colour, the sovereign and her husband visited a university set up especially for the native community. There they were escorted by Chief Alphonse Bird, who made quite an impression on photographers by combining his business suit with a traditional Indian headdress of eagle feathers.

Cree elders then presented the royal with an intricately embroidered quilt, while the Duke of Edinburgh received a pair of hand-made moccasins. Her Majesty reciprocated the gesture by offering her hosts a polished granite stone engraved with the royal markings "VR" and "EIIR", which she said would serve as a reminder of the "special relationship between the sovereign and the First Nation peoples".

The Indian community has indeed proved its loyalty to the crown. Among the welcome party were a number of elderly war veterans, carrying Canadian, British and Saskatchewan flags, in remembrance of the 9,000 indigenous North Americans who fought against the Nazis in World War II. Though it is a fact often overlooked in history books, the First Nation played an instrumental role in liberating the Netherlands from German occupation.

Prince Philip shows Queen Elizabeth his new moccasins as Chief Alphonse Bird (left) and First Nation elder Eber Hampton look on

Her Majesty receives a colourful escort from Chief Alphonse Bird as she arrives at the First Nation University