Queen Elizabeth II strolled through the grounds of what was the US' first permanent English settlement, saw remains of the original fort built there and even engaged in a little humor.
The British monarch, flanked by US Vice President Dick Cheney and Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine, took in Jamestown's replica village of thatch-roofed buildings to commemorate the settlement's 400th anniversary.
In his welcoming remarks, Cheney noted the queen's last visit to Jamestown 50 years ago.
"Half a century has done nothing to diminish the respect and affection this country holds for you. We receive you again today in that same spirit," he said.
Later, the queen and Cheney went to Historic Jamestown, where archaeologists have found remains of the original fort. She was shown excavation trays containing chess pieces, iron knives, copper baubles and the discarded claws of crabs that had been a meal for the settlers centuries ago.
The queen stopped at a display of medical instruments, including a spatula for treatment of constipation.
"David!" she called to Commander David Swain, a Royal Navy doctor who travels with her. "You ought to have some things like that."
Later, at a ceremony in the brick church at Jamestown, built in 1907 near the original church frame dating to 1617, the queen presented a handmade, elaborately carved Windsor chair as a gift to the people of Virginia.
"Would you like to try it out?" the queen asked Kaine.
He did, to laughter and applause.
Later, at a private luncheon in Colonial Williamsburg, the restored 18th-century capital of Virginia, the queen returned to her more staid persona.
"My visits to Jamestown and Williamsburg, separated by 50 years, symbolize for me the warmth and welcome Prince Philip and I have always received during our many visits to the United States over the years," she said.
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