"The warmth and hospitality of Indians is an inspiration for all of us." Hear Queen Elizabeth II’s toast to India back in 2009.
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00:00The warmth and hospitality of the Indian people and the richness and diversity of India itself
00:07have been an inspiration to all of us.
00:09Britain and India have a long shared history, which today is a source of great strength
00:16in building a new partnership fit for this new century.
00:31Madam President and Dr Shekharput, I am delighted to welcome you both to Windsor Castle this
00:38evening at the beginning of your state visit to the United Kingdom.
00:42Prince Philip and I have fond memories of our own visits to India, and my family have
00:48been frequent guests of yours in recent years.
00:53Prince Andrew visits India regularly as an ambassador for British business, and Prince
00:58Edward has just been to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games Federation Assembly.
01:03The warmth and hospitality of the Indian people and the richness and diversity of India itself
01:10have been an inspiration to all of us.
01:13We hope to repay some of the kindness shown to us in India during your visit this week.
01:19Britain and India have a long shared history, which today is a source of great strength
01:25in building a new partnership fit for this new century.
01:30Nearly two million of our own citizens are tied by descent and enduring family links
01:35to India.
01:38They represent one of the United Kingdom's most dynamic and successful communities, and
01:44I am delighted to welcome many of the leaders of that community here this evening.
01:51Many of your own fellow citizens also live and work in the United Kingdom.
01:56They have enriched our society and continue to refresh and strengthen the bonds between
02:01our two countries.
02:03Five years ago, our two governments launched a new strategic partnership, which was founded
02:09on the sure knowledge that India's emergence on the world stage would be one of the main
02:15forces shaping the 21st century.
02:18One of the most important pillars of our new partnership is education.
02:25Madam President, I know of your own personal commitment to building a high-quality education
02:31system at all levels in India, and I want to assure you that we remain deeply committed
02:38to working with you towards this important goal.
02:41The United Kingdom is proud to have more than 30,000 Indian students in our universities
02:46every year.
02:48The first group of Manmohan Singh scholars has just arrived to begin their studies at
02:54Cambridge University.
02:57In the future, we hope that many more British students will go to study in Indian universities,
03:05making this a genuinely two-way exchange of learning.
03:08Madam President, relations between our two countries are built on strong and deep foundations
03:15and are set fair for the 21st century.