Queen heads enterprise drive

The Queen has been enlisted by the Government to head a new drive to encourage more British entrepreneurs.

Chancellor Gordon Brown announces today a raft of measures which will include a royal "Enterprise Day" in the summer and new royal enterprise awards for business people who set up their own companies and make their own fortunes.

The Queen and other senior members of the royal family will spearhead the campaign over the coming months.

The initiative comes as it emerged that Microsoft founder Bill Gates is to receive an honorary knighthood for services to employment, education, enterprise and charity in the UK.

Mr Gates is currently in London and is expected today at a business summit at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster.

The Chancellor is hosting the conference whose other guests include Alan Greenspan, head of America's central bank, and the bosses of Vodafone, Tesco, BT and BP.

The Tories have dismissed the summit as a "staged exercise" and a "costly waste of time".