Queen's visit opens with snub from PM

THE FIRST visit to Russia by a reigning British monarch began with a snub for the Queen today after it was revealed that the Prime Minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin, would miss the official welcome because of an extended holiday on the Black Sea. Last-minute changes to the Queen's red-carpet arrival in Moscow were announced by Russian officials yesterday.

But the tricky diplomatic situation will be hosted by the first deputy prime minister, Oleg Soskovets - an old hand in dealing with embarrassing international scenes. He was the understudy dispatched from Boris Yeltsin's jet in Ireland to fill in for the incapacitated Russian president as the Irish Prime Minister, Albert Reynolds, waited on the tarmac.

Mr Chernomyrdin's absence is more easily explained. 'He is away from Moscow on vacation in Sochi so he won't be engaged in connection with this visit,' said an official of the Russian foreign ministry. 'He has already had to interrupt his vacation once so it has been prolonged.' Mr Chernomyrdin's holiday was disrupted last week by black Tuesday, when he flew back to Moscow for a crisis meeting at the Kremlin after the Russian rouble crashed and the government teetered.

Strictly speaking his crying off is not a breach of protocol. As head of state the Queen will receive a formal welcome in the Kremlin from Mr Yeltsin this afternoon.

Some Russians appear to be more excited about the Royal visit than their Prime Minister. 'Princess Di would have been more interesting,' said Larissa, a fashion- conscious economics student. 'But the Queen is pretty exotic for us too. I don't suppose I'll be lucky enough to see her in real life but I'll watch her on the television.'

If palace officials are worrying that the controversy over the Prince of Wales's broken marriage might overshadow the Queen's visit, then they should relax. Of course Russians know about the separation, but it seems very tame to them compared with the scandals that surround their own leaders. Will Boris Yeltsin manage to stay sober while he entertains the Queen, they wonder.