Queen Elizabeth has made a “significant personal donation” to help victims of the Burmese cyclone.


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The Queen offered the undisclosed sum to the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, Buckingham Palace has revealed.

The death toll in Burma has reportedly reached 100,000, but aid agencies are concerned it could continue to rise dramatically if sufficient help doesn’t arrive soon.

Burma’s military rulers junta have restricted foreign aid workers entering the country. An estimated 1.5 million cyclone survivors desperately need medical supplies, clean water and food.

Brendan Gormley, chief executive of DEC, said: “We can’t let these people down and we’re relying on the generous support of the British public to help us continue this life-saving work.”

Meanwhile, the queen and Prince Philip will visit Turkey for the first time since 1971. The four-day state trip will see the royals attend a banquet hosted by President Abdullah Gul at his palace.

They will also lay a wreath at the founder of the Turkish Republic Kemal Ataturk’s tomb and tour a school in Istanbul. The queen is expected to wear an Islamic headscarf for the duration of the visit, even though they are banned in governmental and public buildings.

The royal trip has been planned to highlight Britain’s close relationship with Turkey.