Prime Minister John Key has been invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace and says he will thank her for her leadership over the past 60 years.
Mr Key is in Britain for the Diamond Jubilee and on Sunday took part in the Thames River pageant, travelling aboard the Sarpedon with other Commonwealth heads of state in a 1000-boat flotilla.
On Wednesday he and wife Bronagh will meet the Queen. The Prime Minister said it will be a great opportunity to pass on the best wishes of the people of New Zealand, to congratulate the Queen and thank her for her leadership.
Mr Key said he will take a gift of New Zealand cheeses, which he described as "something practical."
He said the Queen had always shown a great and genuine affection for New Zealand
