This morning Commonwealth Games England's Dame Kelly Holmes joined Her Majesty the Queen to launch the 2010 Queen's Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace.

After a morning of cultural festivities the Queen place a precious jewellery box containing Her message to the athletes onto the apex of the Queen's Baton, which is to be carried from Buckingham Palace to the Opening Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

For the first time the Queen's message has been symbolically engraved onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf, representative of the ancient Indian 'patras'. 

Queen Elizabeth II (2)The Baton relay began when Her Majesty passed the baton to the India's President Pratibha Patil received the baton before passing it on to India's first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra.

Dame Kelly joined a host of English and Indian athletes to run the Baton around the Queen Victoria memorial in the first leg of the Baton's epic journey around all commonwealth nations.  Indian sats included Dilip Tirkey, the world's most capped hockey player and 'the Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh - 1959 Commonwealth 400m gold medal winner.  Monty Panesar, Susan Gilroy and Lord Sebastian Coe also joined the historic relay.

Tonight the Baton moves to the UK India Business Council Gala Dinner; where Dame Kelly will address 500+ people about the importance of the Commonwealth Games to an athlete's development; and call on the English nation to get behind the 'We are England' rallying cry of the English team as they begin preparations for Delhi next year.