Queen remembers World War II at end of whirlwind US tour (Roundup)

May 8, 2007, 20:39 GMT

Washington - Queen Elizabeth II remembered the sacrifices of World War II by placing a wreath at a US memorial in Washington Tuesday as she wrapped up a six-day visit that took her from the founding of the first British colony in the New World to the frontiers of space.

Elizabeth, 81, remembered the alliance between her nation and the United States during World War II and the cooperation between Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt in a toast at a White House state dinner Monday night.

'For those of us who have witnessed the peace and stability and prosperity enjoyed in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe over these postwar years, we have every reason to remember that this has been founded on the bedrock of the Atlantic Alliance,' she said.

Touring the memorial accompanied by the current president's parents, former president George HW Bush and his wife, Barbara, Elizabeth stopped to chat with veterans.

'I'm very impressed by this,' the monarch clad in a royal blue coat and hat and white gloves told one older man wearing a hat identifying him as a veteran.

The memorial opened in 2004, and the veteran noted the many years it had taken for the memorial to be built.

'Yes, we're all getting old,' the queen replied.

Earlier Tuesday, Elizabeth, in a lemon-coloured coat and matching hat, toured NASA's Goddard Space Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland and heard from astronauts aboard the International Space Station via a video link.

Last week, Elizabeth visited Jamestown, Virginia, which is celebrating 400 years since its founding as the first British colony in the New World. The queen, an avid horse fan, also attended the Kentucky Derby.

In a speech at the White House Monday, Elizabeth called her visit 'a window on the future' of US-British relations, and said she was looking forward to seeing 'something of how the cutting edge of science and technology can take us to the next phases of discovery and exploration in human endeavour.'

At the space centre, the queen met with school children and employees, viewed exhibits on space and planted a tree.

She also toured a children's hospital with First Lady Laura Bush Tuesday afternoon.

The queen attended a white-tie dinner with President George W Bush on Monday evening. She is to depart Tuesday evening after entertaining the Bushes and other luminaries at the British ambassador's residence.