Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his wife, Naina, had lunch with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday (November 10),where he formally invited the Queen to visit Russia.

Buckingham Palace said she accepted the invitation in principle, but said she would consult senior ministers who were expected to recommend that the trip should be put off until the political and economic situation in Russia has become less volatile.

Speaking after the lunch Yeltsin said that the queen "with great dignity accepted my invitation and she said that we would not wait for too long before she comes to Russia".

He said that Russia and Britain shared the same goals of freedom and democracy, principles which Russia had fought hard to attain and was determined to preserve.

Yeltsin later left London in his presidential aircraft for Hungary, the next stage of his foreign trip.