President Dr Mohammed Waheed and First Lady Madam Ilham Hussain were part of an illustrious roster of guests who were invited to accompany The Queen and The Royal Family to the National Service of Thanksgiving in honour of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. At the ceremony, President Waheed and the First Lady met with HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and British Prime Minister The Rt Hon David Cameron MP. The international guest list included a number of Heads of Government and their representatives, such as Sheikh Rehana Siddique, sister of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh; Mr Syed Bokhari, the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan; and other UK based High Commissioners and representatives.

Following the thanksgiving ceremony President Waheed and the First Lady attended a lunch hosted by British Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, The Rt Hon William Hague MP. During the lunch President Waheed had the opportunity to discuss a range of issues, including the political situation in Maldives, with a number of UK based High Commissioners and Ambassadors, and senior officials from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Tomorrow, President Waheed will join other Commonwealth Heads of Government for a luncheon in honour of Her Majesty hosted by the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, H.E. Mr Kamalesh Sharma.