Bob Brown, Associated Press Queen Elizabeth II receives a standing ovation before beginning her address to the Virginia General Assembly yesterday, in Richmond, Va. At back right is Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

By Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

RICHMOND, Va. -- It was English weather -- chilly, gray, spattering rain -- that greeted Queen Elizabeth II yesterday on her first official visit to the United States since 1991 to mark the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, the first permanent English-speaking settlement in the New World.

But it was a distinctly American kind of enthusiasm -- open, friendly, and occasionally a little clumsy -- that enveloped the 81-year old monarch as she arrived with her husband, Prince Philip, onto the grounds of Virginia's State Capitol.

	Susan Walsh, Associated Press Queen Elizabeth II greets American Indians as Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine looks on during a tour of the Virginia State Capitol. Click photo for larger image. More on the story AP photos: A gallery of images from the event AP video: Royal visit a chance for healing

Her arrival attracted a crowd of 7,000 people hoping to catch a glimpse of the queen, who arrived shortly before 4 p.m. at Richmond Airport on a chartered British Airways jet. After being greeted by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the queen went into the governor's mansion for a brief reception with state dignitaries before emerging 15 minutes later to go on a "walkabout" around the Capitol.

Children thrust nosegays at her -- "For me?" she asked one -- and one high school student from Manassas handed her a football (which she handed off to a lady in waiting).

A Native American tribal chief, resplendent in yellow buckskin ceremonial garb, presented her with a copy of a brooch believed to have been owned by Pocahontas, as members of his tribe performed a dance on the steps of the Capitol.

And in an apparent violation of royal protocol, Richmond Mayor -- and former Virginia governor -- Douglas Wilder grabbed the Queen's arm in greeting.

And when Elizabeth, dressed in a pale lavender coat trimmed in pink, with an enormous matching pink hat, entered Virginia's House of Delegates for a joint session of the General Assembly -- the first time a British monarch has ever addressed that political body, the oldest in the New World -- she was greeted with loud cheers from the lawmakers.

But then the mood turned somber, when the Queen expressed condolences for those killed last month during the Virginia Tech massacre.

"As a state and as a nation you are still coming to terms with the dreadful events at Virginia Tech on the 16th of April," she said. "My heart goes out to the students, friends and families of all those killed, and to the many others who have been affected."

The Queen went on to note that since her last visit to Jamestown in 1957, "my country has become a much more diverse society," as has Virginia and the U.S. She said that tributes to Jamestown should involve more than just the original settlers, since in its early years, "three great civilizations came together for the first time -- Western European, Native American and African," releasing "a train of events which continues to have a profound social impact" in the U.S. and Europe.

	Jim Bourg, Associated Press Queen Elizabeth II greets the crowd as she is escorted by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. Click photo for larger image.

After her speech, the queen met privately with students wounded in the shooting. Colin Goodard, who had been shot three times and was in a wheelchair, stood on crutches to greet the Queen. He was joined by Allison Cook, who was shot in the chest and hand; and Katelyn Carney, who was shot in the hand.

"The Queen asked them how they were recuperating, what they were studying and what they wanted to do with their lives," said Gov. Kaine's spokesman, Kevin Hall, who added that Ms. Carney gave the Queen a charm bracelet in the university's colors of maroon and orange.

While the Queen maintained her characteristic reserve throughout the day, there were occasional flashes of humor. When Virginia's First Lady, Anne Holton Kaine, asked a group of elementary students who had been invited to meet the Queen "Why is the Queen here?", that prompted laughter and the Queen to throw up her hands in mock surprise.

While Royalty watching in the post-Diana era may be less of an American pastime these days, certainly, Virginians believe they have a special relationship with the British royal family, given the state's history as a royal colony.

"In Massachusetts, the first settlers came to get away from the British, but in Virginia, they came to spread the British way of life," said Ellen LeCompte, president of the Richmond chapter of the English Speaking Union and a self-described Anglophile.

Mrs. LeCompte said she was ecstatic at the prospect of a visit from the Queen, and has been busy hosting and chauffeuring dignitaries to and from Colonial Williamsburg, where the Royal couple were to stay last night before visiting Jamestown colony today.

"The Queen's visit underscores the wonderfully close relationship between the state of Virginia and Great Britain," she said. "Whether it's our common language or Virginia's history as a royal colony, or our legal system, it's all drawn from a shared history that endures today."

Security was tight around the Capitol, with Secret Service and sharpshooters stationed discreetly around the area. But the mood remained festive throughout. Vanessa Smith, one of the Capitol employees assigned to guide visitors around Capitol Square, said she volunteered for the job "because I wanted to see the Queen. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that won't come around again."

Wilford Kale, a columnist with the Virginia Gazette, noted that the Queen rarely visits the same place twice, but has visited Virginia during three of her four officials trips to the U.S.

After visiting Jamestown and the College of William and Mary today, the Queen will attend the Kentucky Derby tomorrow and will be feted by President Bush Monday night at a state dinner at the White House.