WINDSOR, Ontario -- Queen Elizabeth II greeted throngs of cheering well-wishers in Ontario and said hello to President Reagan, who was campaigning just across the river in Detroit.
The queen, on the eighth day of her 14-day Canadian tour Monday, visited the border city of Windsor, across the Detroit River from where Reagan was making a campaign stop.
A message sent from the queen's Canadian Forces aircraft to Air Force One said: 'I was delighted to hear that metaphorically speaking we were only divided today by a strip of water between our two countries and I send you our warm good wishes from Windsor.' It was signed: 'Elizabeth R.'
'R.' stands for regina -- Latin for queen.
Reagan replied: 'Thank you for your greeting and welcome to our country. Nancy and I wish you the very best and hope your visit will be a happy one. We are pleased that nothing more than water separates our countries and pray it shall be always thus.'
The queen sent the message as she was flying to Brantford, Ontario, for a short visit before returning to Toronto for the night. She is scheduled to travel to Kentucky and Wyoming after her Canadian tour ends Sunday.
The queen and Prince Philip were greeted by a crowd of some 6,000 people, many of them Americans, at a riverfront park shortly after noon, at about the same time Reagan was addressing the Economic Club of Detroit.
A huge contingent of Americans crossed the border to get a glimpse of the royal couple. Most had difficulty with the words to 'God Save the Queen' -- schoolchildren in the United States sing an American version of the royal anthem called 'My Country 'Tis of Thee' -- but cheered the queen during her 10-minute stroll in the park.
'We have movie stars to take the place of royalty and that's wrong,' said Sanford Burr, 58, of Michigan. 'They may be flashy, but they're not good examples.'
Said Jamie Lucska, 17, of Michigan: 'I didn't care to go see Reagan. He's got nothing over her. She's the queen of Canada. She would have been the queen of the United States if there wasn't an American revolution.'
With small craft on the river flying Canadian flags and Union Jacks and the Detroit skyline as a backdrop, the queen was welcomed by Windsor Mayor Elizabeth Kishkon. She noted Michigan Gov. James J. Blanchard sent a scroll welcoming the royal couple.
