London, Sep 1 - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is to launch a baton relay - one of the longest in history - in the presence of President Pratibha Patil to lift the curtain on the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, organisers said Tuesday.

The Queen's Baton Relay, a traditional event that has launched every Commonwealth Game since 1958, will be held Oct 29 at Buckingham Palace in London.

Apart from the visiting Indian President, other dignitaries expected to attend the ceremony include Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip, Commonwealth Games Federation President Michael Fennell and the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Delhi Games, Suresh Kalmadi.

Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra will be the first athlete to run with the baton, a high-tech stick that will contain a digital camera, a GPS and a Queen's message to athletes engraved on a gold leaf.

The baton will be carried to the Queen Victoria Memorial and The Mall in central London, followed by a colourful parade of performers, before making its way to Trafalgar Square, where a grand finale will showcase Indian culture.

The baton will then traverse the length and breadth of the Commonwealth for 240 days, visiting all of the other 70 nations and territories, before entering India for a 100-day national tour.