A warm send-off was given to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Palam airport when they left Delhi for Teheran on March 2, 1961 after a three-week tour of India.

The Queen arrived at Palam accompanied by President Rajendra Prasad and Prince Philip with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Vice-President, Cabinet ministers, Commonwealth high commissioners and some senior officials waited for them under one shamiana, while under two other shamianas sat members of the diplomatic corps, MPs and others.

Before bidding goodbye to her hosts Queen Elizabeth inspected a guard of honour. A contingent of the 39th Gorkha Regiment provided a band. A 21-gun salute went off as the Queen stepped on to the gangway.

Earlier, the Queen and Prince Philip went round shaking hands with those assembled. The Queen received bouquets from schoolchildren gathered at the airport.

In a farewell broadcast at the end of her three-week tour of the country Queen Elizabeth said that her visit and the great welcome accorded to her had set the seal on the new relationship between India and Britain and on the abiding friendship between the two peoples.

The Queen declared that her tour had shown her that the new Commonwealth established in 1947 is firmly based in the hearts and minds of the people as a means of co-operation for the peace and progress of mankind.

Stressing the role of younger people, she expressed the hope that she would see an even wider and deeper friendship developing between the youth of the Commonwealth countries so that their great and varied talents might be shared to their mutual advantage as well as that of the world.

“All over the world there is so much to be done for the less fortunate, and it is upon the young generation in every country that a tremendous responsibility will fall in days to come,” she said.

Message To President

The royal couple waved a final goodbye before entering the blue and white Britannia. Even after the plane door was finally shut and the engines were started, the Queen in a dress of bright yellow silk, could be seen waving from one of the windows. Soon after the royal aircraft took off, the following message was received from the Queen for the President: “On our departure, my husband and I wish to thank you and the people of India once again for the truly wonderful welcome which you have given us. We take back with us the most vivid memories of your friendship, kindness and hospitality. We wish you every success in years ahead.”

Earlier, before bidding the President good-bye, the Queen referred to her Indian tour as an “unforgettable experience”.

Last evening, the Queen and Prince Philip along with Nehru, spent quite 20 minutes looking at an album of 200 photographs of their tour.

An hour-long coloured documentary film of the Queen’s tour made by the Films Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is being flown to London to be presented to the Queen at Buckingham Palace on March 8.

The Queen’s leave-taking in Delhi was not confined to dignitaries. On the eve of their departure, the royal couple found time to individually thank a number of officials, including press liaison staff connected with their tour.

Besides signed photographs, they gave souvenirs bearing the Queen’s crest The presents to officials included leather wallets, wrist watches, silver ash trays and cuff links.

The Queen and the Duke asked officials what they felt about the tour. “Was it tiring?” inquired the Prince. “No, exciting,” answered an official.

During the three weeks of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s stay in India nearly 850,000 words were transmitted by the P and T Department on behalf of press correspondents covering the royal tour. For, the first time mobile teleprinter vans were introduced in Bombay and Calcutta.

After the special plane took off from Palam this morning, carrying the royal guests. Prime Minister Nehru was asked by newsmen what he thought of the Queen’s visit.

Nehru said he was in a hurry as he would have to answer questions in Parliament, but added: “We enjoyed the visit and we hope she also enjoyed it.”

Judging by the spontaneous welcome Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh received from hundreds of thousands of people in each of the cities and towns they visited, Nehru’s view is undoubtedly shared by many.