October 18th, 2010
07:38 PM ET

Queen Elizabeth II gets a piece of Chile's national pride

President Sebastian Piñera gives Queen Elizabeth II a rock from the San Jose mine.

Judging purely by appearances, the gift from Chile's president to Elizabeth II did not seem fit for a queen.

He gave the monarch a rock. But it was not just any rock. The stone that President Sebastian Piñera brought all the way from Chile to Buckingham Palace was from the bottom of the San Jose mine, once the underground prison of 33 miners and now a symbol of Chilean national pride.

Ever since the miners were rescued last week, Chile's newspapers have heralded "the Chilean way" in which the operation was carried out, opining that it will help the country move beyond the dark shadow of its military dictatorship past.

As part of his European tour, Piñera explained in detail to the queen how the rescue was carried out, according to a news release from his office.

It was unclear what the queen planned to do with the rock gift.

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Filed under: Chile miners trapped • Queen Elizabeth II
soundoff (110 Responses)
  1. cassandra

    Did he give it to her with a straight face?

    October 19, 2010 at 7:45 am | Report abuse |
  2. Thenextstep

    They aught to give her a ride in the bullet that brought them up......... 🙂

    October 19, 2010 at 7:53 am | Report abuse |
  3. LT

    i don't know if they ever knew the US was there but the individuals that were there would appreciate a little gesture of it.

    October 19, 2010 at 7:57 am | Report abuse |
  4. John O

    'It was unclear what the queen planned to do with the rock gift."

    Hopefully she puts it in a slingshot and shoots Prince Charles right between those beady eyes.

    October 19, 2010 at 8:42 am | Report abuse |
  5. mrlgh

    she looks soooo unimpressed....

    October 19, 2010 at 8:46 am | Report abuse |
  6. GD

    She's probably re-enacting the Charlie Brown Halloween special as we speak..............I got a candy bar!..........I got a pack of marshmallows!.................I got some chewing gum!................I got a rock.

    October 19, 2010 at 9:01 am | Report abuse |
  7. avec kex

    rock was Gold undefined....

    October 19, 2010 at 9:20 am | Report abuse |
  8. Sagebrush Shorty

    She is still a classy old broad

    October 19, 2010 at 9:25 am | Report abuse |
  9. Eva

    Just wondering, did he asked the miner who gave it to him if it was OK? I wouldn't like it if I give something to someone and he gives it away to someone else.

    October 19, 2010 at 9:47 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Gena

    Some of you are acting as if it is the one and only rock from the bottom of the mine. I suspect he is handing out rocks all over Europe, and, further, I sure everyone of the miners and the rescuers already got theirs. I suspect additional rocks will be making their way to Ebay and other auction houses soon.

    November 6, 2010 at 9:23 am | Report abuse |
  11. Peter

    JHurt:
    You do realize that the British outlawed slavery long before we Americans had to have a war over it, right? And you do know that the Royal Navy routinely patrolled and attacked slaving vessels thereafter, right? I am not sure you should be casting stones about who "slaves" whom about.

    November 10, 2010 at 5:30 pm | Report abuse |
  12. oh ya

    If it was the US, we would give the Queen something that we don't want. Like the state of Texas!

    November 11, 2010 at 11:19 pm | Report abuse |
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