Shilpa, Queen share London stage

ROYAL TREATMENT: Shilpa Shetty was given honorary membership of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

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London: It's generally the Queen who gets a royal welcome in UK but this time around actress Shilpa Shetty was treated royally as she arrived for the Commonwealth Day celebrations in London on Monday.

Shilpa, who represented India at the event, was chosen to speak on the theme 'living with one another'. This, probably, comes after her rather harrowing time on the sets of the British reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother.

In a vibrant and multicultural service at Westminster Abbey, Shilpa delivered her “personal testimony.”

She spoke of India's vastness and diversity and highlighted the increasing problem of HIV/AIDS in India, a cause the actress is closely associated with.

Shilpa ended her speech by acknowledging the differences that individuals live with but appealed to the world to understand each other better.

“It was such an honour for me to even go up and use this important platform, where I could actually voice my opinion and give my testimony. It was a great opportunity and I feel truly honoured,” Shilpa said.

The actress gave her speech in front of representatives from the 53 commonwealth countries, political party leaders and the Queen herself.

And what was it like curtseying the queen?

“It just lasted five seconds I think. All of us were standing in a line and we shook hands, and I did my curtsey. It was such a pleasure to meet her,” Shilpa said.

Shilpa and her fellow speakers were given honorary memberships of the Royal Commonwealth Society and after the attention and stardom she got at the Westminster Abbey, Shilpa was clearly all smiles.

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