Queen wore a dress made from forgotten Indian cloth

The British Queen wore a dress fit for royals at her state banquet for President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday night - after finding the Indian fabric lying unused in a cupboard for decades.

Elizabeth II's stunning pale gold lame dress made its debut at the banquet after being delivered to her in the morning by her dresser.

"It's an Indian material from an earlier visit, but the Queen couldn't remember when," a royal spokeswoman told IANS at Windsor Castle, the 900-year-old castle where Elizabeth II hosted the dinner attended by 150 guests, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"She had it in the cupboard and had forgotten about it. We think it could be from her first visit to India," the spokeswoman added.

The 83-year-old Queen had the fabric turned into a glamorous dress by her personal dresser Angela Kelly, said to be a close aide to her.

It turned out to be the most glamorous outfit of the evening.

The British monarch has visited India thrice - in 1961, 1983 and 1997. Advertisement

Soon, gay and lesbian guards to protect British Queen!

Soon, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender guards would protect the British Queen, according to an advertisement by the Scotland Yard.

The recruitment notice by the Scotland Yard says it is looking for armed officers from all backgrounds to deliver "residential protection" through a combination of fixed posts and mobile patrols.

"Successful officers can expect to work at London palaces or Windsor Castle and officers are required to ¬perform tours of duty in Scotland.

"Applications are particularly ¬welcomed from women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and black and minority ethnic communities/people as these are under-represented within SO14 (Royalty Protection Branch). Selection will be based solely upon merit," the advertisement reads.

Successful candidates will have to be "currently or previously firearms trained" and will be expected to work 12-hour shifts. SO14 believes there will be about 30 vacancies by the closing date for applications next month, the 'Daily Express' reported.

Scotland Yard said: "We want to recruit the best people from London's many different communities. This includes ensuring that this diversity is reflected across the Metropolitan Police in units where particular groups are under-represented."

But, Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, West Yorks, said: "I don't know whether the Royal Family are going to feel that much safer knowing there's transgender outside protecting them. This is absolutely ludicrous." Advertisement