Scarf Mandela gave to Queen Elizabeth gets the royal treatment

A silk scarf given to the queen of England by Nelson Mandela has gone on display at Buckingham Palace.

The scarf, depicting Bushmen hunting a herd of eland in the Eastern Cape, which was given to Queen Elizabeth II by Mandela in 1996, is in the state dining room at Buckingham Palace.

It forms part of the exhibition of royal gifts which opened on Saturday and runs until October.

Visitors to the summer opening of Buckingham Palace will see a display of more than 200 gifts presented to the 91-year-old queen during her 65-year reign.

Among the exhibits is a paperweight made from a dinosaur bone, a Union Flag badge that has travelled into space, a handbag woven from coconut leaves, a Bafta Award, a portrait of the queen woven from banana leaves which was presented by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda during an audience at Buckingham Palace in 2006 and a gold tray from Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia during the queen's state visit there in 1965.

Also on display, as a tribute to Princess Diana to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, are some of her personal items, including a briefcase, a leather photo frame and ballet shoes, which were selected by her sons William and Harry to reflect their mother's commitment to duty and their personal memories of her.