Remembering Queen Elizabeth II: 'Meeting her is the most treasured memory I have'

Shwetambra Barar Tandon says she was one of five Indian Australians who met Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 in Sydney. In an interview with SBS Hindi, Ms Tandon shared her personal experience of meeting the Queen.

Indian dancers perform in front of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh during the Commonwealth Day Service at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, Monday, March 13, 2006. Ms Shwetambra Barar Tandon is in the centre. Credit: PATRICK RIVIERE/AAPIMAGE

Though it has been 16 years since Shwetambra Barar Tandon met Queen Elizabeth II, she still remembers the moment clearly.

In 2006, the Queen was visiting Australia to open the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Ms Tandon was among a group of Indian Australians who were invited to perform an Indian folk dance in her honour.

Invitation card sent to Ms Shwetambra Barar Tandon. Credit: Supplied by Ms Shwetambra Barar Tandon

The performers later were invited to attend a reception in Sydney held in honour of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

"We were instructed how to greet the Queen before the reception, such as not reaching out before she does," Ms Tandon recalls.

Invitation card sent to Ms Shwetambra Barar Tandon. Credit: Ms Shwetambra Barar Tandon

"She was so welcoming and so appreciative of our dance performance. The experience of meeting the Queen will remain etched in my memory forever," Ms Tandon says.

Last Friday, Buckingham Palace released a statement from King Charles III confirming Queen Elizabeth II had passed away 'peacefully' at Balmoral, Scotland.

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