The Queen made a rare visit to a mosque yesterday, donning a headscarf alongside the wife of Turkey’s President to tour the crypt and caverns of an historic Islamic shrine.It was also the first formal solo outing for Hayrünnisa Gül, the country’s controversial “first lady”, who accompanied the Queen around the Green Mosque and tomb of Sultan Mehmet I on the second day of the Queen’s state visit to Turkey.
Mrs Gül wore the full Turkish headscarf while the royal hairline was hidden by a piece of chiffon. Mrs Gül is the first presidential wife to wear the scarf, infuriating generals and establishment leaders desperate to maintain the nation’s secular character.
Mrs Gül wore the full Turkish headscarf while the royal hairline was hidden by a piece of chiffon. Mrs Gül is the first presidential wife to wear the scarf, infuriating generals and establishment leaders desperate to maintain the nation’s secular character.
The Green Mosque is one of a tiny number to be visited by the Queen during her 55-year reign. The gesture will be appreciated by many in Turkey as the country, a secular state with a resolutely Muslim population, tries to persuade Western neighbours that Islam and EU membership can coexist.
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