Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Statement on Visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Justice Sandra Day O'Connor welcomed Wednesday's announcement that Queen Elizabeth II planned to visit America's Historic Triangle next May in conjunction with America's 400th Anniversary.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051111/DCF015LOGO )

"As honorary national chair of the Jamestown 2007 commemoration, I will be honored to welcome Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to America's Historic Triangle. Their visit to Jamestown underscores the historic ties between our two countries and the international significance of this 400th anniversary," Justice O'Connor said.

Queen Elizabeth II and his Royal Highness Prince Philip participated in the 350th anniversary of Jamestown, her first visit to the U.S. as monarch. Her participation in America's 400th Anniversary will focus international attention on Jamestown and its legacies -- the introduction of democratic government, free enterprise and a culturally diverse society.

Events commemorating America's 400th Anniversary began in May 2006 with the launch of a replica of the Godspeed on tour of major East Coast ports. The commemoration spans 18 months and includes more than a dozen Signature Events focusing on Jamestown's legacies. Visit http://www.americas400thanniversary.com/ for detailed information about the commemoration.

Jamestown 2007, a sub-agency of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, is coordinating efforts to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Va., the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The nation's first representative government, free enterprise system and culturally diverse society began at Jamestown. State, national, and international commemorative events to salute these legacies began in May 2006 and continue into 2008. Major corporate sponsors of America's 400th Anniversary include Norfolk Southern Corporation , Verizon and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Other supporters include Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , AirTran Airways , Dominion, James City County, Northrop Grumman, Philip Morris, SunTrust, TowneBank and Wolseley PLC/Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. Contributors include the City of Poquoson and Rutherfoord Insurance. More information about the commemoration is available at http://www.americas400thanniversary.com/.

The federal Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission was created by Congress (Public Law 106-565) to work with the Commonwealth of Virginia's Jamestown 2007 Steering Committee in planning and executing an anniversary commemoration of national and international scope. The Commission is comprised of a chairman and fifteen members who were appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in spring 2003. For additional information, visit http://www.jamestownjourney.org/.