Queen and Duke set for US visit

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will also visit Uganda

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will visit the US next May for the first time in 16 years.

It will be their fourth state visit there. The last one was in May 1991.

Unveiling her plans in the Queen's Speech, she said the visit was to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown Settlement.

In the autumn of 2007, the royal couple will go to Uganda, where the Queen will open the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kampala.

As part of her speech unveiling government's plans for the next Parliament, the Queen said: "The Duke of Edinburgh and I look forward to our state visit to the United States of America in May 2007."

The visit will mark the major anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, by English settlers - one of the key events in the formation of the US.

Three ships which sailed from Gravesend, Kent, arrived in the US in May 1607.

'Enduring bonds'

US President George W Bush said in a statement that the Queen's visit was important.

"The United States and the United Kingdom enjoy an extraordinary friendship that is sustained by deep historical and cultural ties and a commitment to defend freedom around the world," he said.

"We look forward to Her Majesty's State Visit as an occasion to celebrate these enduring bonds."

The Queen also said she looked forward to visiting Kampala and receiving the President of Ghana, John Kufuor, and Mrs Kufuor on a state visit to the UK.