Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II praised the exemplary contributions of 60,000 Indian doctors in NHS, at the occasion of the presentation of the 'letter of credence' (letter of commission) by the High Commissioner of India, Her Excellency Ruchi Ghanashyam at the Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 27 March 2019.
A letter of credence is a formal diplomatic letter that appoints a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to another, asking him to give credence to whatever the ambassador may say on his country's behalf. The letter is presented personally by the ambassador to the receiving head of state in a formal ceremony, marking the beginning of the ambassadorship.
Upon arrival at his post, an ambassador meets with the foreign minister to arrange for an audience with the head of state, here the Queen. The ambassador carries both a sealed original and an unsealed copy of this credentials. The unsealed copy is given to the foreign minister upon arrival, and the original is presented personally to the head of state in a formal ceremony.
Mrs Ghanashyam and husband Mr A R Ghanashyam, then rode on a horse drawn carriage, escorted by official military escort, as per the UK tradition, from Buckingham palace to 9 Kensington Gardens, the High Commissioner's residence, where they met a room full of gathered guests, that included businessmen such as the Hindujas, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Lord Ranbir Suri, Lord Loomba, Baroness Prashar, Lord Popat to name a few.
Neil Holland, Director of Protocol and Vice-Marshal of Diplomatic Corps at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, addressing the guests and honouring the occasion said, "It's a real honour, and congrats presentation of credences. I hope the High Commissioner has a fulfilling stay. There is a wonderful connection between Her Majesty with India. The relation with India is an old one and comes with its own complexities, but the contemporary one is quite a different and an honourable one, We work together to increase trade and investment and fight terrorism, theres a growing people to people relationship, we can't think of modern UK without the Indian diaspora.”
The High Commissioner, who was elegantly dressed in a black 'Baluchari' saree and pearls, speaking at the event paid tribute to the Queen's energy and how warm and hospitable she was. She added, “There is a warm relation between UK and India – we are strong partners. The vibrant diaspora bind us together. The contribution of diaspora- play a vital role to build bridge between two countries.”
Mrs Ghanashyam moved to London towards end of 2018.
