From the BBC:
“Platinum Jubilee: Crowds
cheer Queen at palace as Jubilee begins”
Roaring crowds cheered the Queen
as she joined other royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the first of
four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Thousands flooded The Mall, waving
flags in the brilliant sunshine to celebrate the Queen's 70-year reign. The
96-year-old watched a flypast with 17 other royals and was immediately flanked
by Prince Charles and four-year old great-grandson Prince Louis. The Queen
looked delighted as she and Prince Louis chatted during the event. But the
noise of the 70-aircraft flypast was too much for the young prince, who was
pictured covering his ears and tightly shutting his eyes. The parade marked the
start of a long bank holiday weekend of events celebrating the Queen's reign -
the longest by a British monarch.
Riding on horseback and wearing
the Platinum Jubilee medal with his uniform, the Prince of Wales inspected the
troops in his mother's place. The Queen, who was using a walking stick, has
limited her appearances in recent months due to mobility issues. As the
soldiers marched towards Buckingham Palace at the end of the parade, the Queen
emerged on to the balcony, accompanied by cheers from the crowd. More than
1,500 officers and soldiers along with 350 horses from the Household Division
took part in Trooping the Colour, the first time the parade has been staged in
full since the pandemic After the parade, more than 70 aircraft - including
Spitfires from World War Two, Apache helicopters, Typhoons and the Red Arrows -
took part in the flypast over Buckingham Palace. Several jets flew in formation
to form the number 70 in honour of the Queen's long reign.
Prince Charles, the Duchess of
Cornwall, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three
children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - flanked the
monarch on the balcony - the Royal Family's first gathering there since 2019. It
had been decided only "working royals" would appear, which excluded
the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the Queen's son, the Duke of York. Prince
Andrew, whose royal titles were returned to the Crown amid a lawsuit in the US,
did not attend. He had been due to attend Friday's thanksgiving service, but on
Thursday afternoon Buckingham Palace said he would miss it as he had tested
positive for Covid. Prince Harry and Meghan, who now live in the US, watched
Trooping the Colour from a vantage point in the Duke of Wellington's former
office, overlooking Horse Guards Parade. They travelled with their children
Archie, three, and Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday. Lilibet is the family
nickname for the Queen.
Analysis by Sean Coughlan,
royal correspondent
Prince Harry and Meghan have been keeping
a very low profile and seem to be carefully avoiding any accusations of
stealing the limelight. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were pictured
watching the Trooping the Colour ceremony from windows above Horse Guards
Parade, but mostly stayed out of sight. Since they weren't part of the
Buckingham Palace balcony scene or in the carriage procession, they've largely
remained under the radar and away from centre stage. That's probably
what Buckingham Palace most wanted. Because the couple attract so much public
interest, both positive and negative, it could drown out the focus on the
Jubilee events. This might be about building bridges rather than making
headlines, because they would have been made aware of the damage of any
attention-grabbing comments or appearances. But they are expected to be
at St Paul's on Friday for the service of thanksgiving - and there is
speculation about private meetings with the Queen over the weekend. It's
their daughter Lilibet's first birthday on Saturday, so it could all align for
a family gathering.
Space for public viewing filled
up by mid-morning. Thousands of spectators lined the Mall and filled nearby St
James' Park, waving flags and draped in union jacks. Many in the crowd saw the
day as a historic moment, and spoke of their admiration for the Queen. "She's
such a strong personality," said Salamath Silmy, from north London.
"I always talk to my daughter about how we have to be strong like
her." Visiting from the US, Elaine Henderson said the day represented
"everything I love about Britain". The parade was also briefly
interrupted by protestors, claimed to be from animal rights and climate
campaign group Animal Rebellion. Police arrested 12 people for obstruction of
the highway.
Millions of people are gearing up
for street parties among other celebrations over the four-day Bank Holiday
weekend. On Wednesday, the Queen thanked the public for organising celebratory
events and said "many happy memories" would be made. "I continue
to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will
provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last
70 years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm," she
said in a statement. On Thursday evening, more than 3,000 beacons will be lit
across the UK and the Commonwealth in tribute to the Queen, with the Tree of
Trees beacon illuminated outside the palace. The Queen is to lead the lighting
of the principal Jubilee beacon in a special ceremony at Windsor Castle,
Buckingham Palace said. Prince Charles and Camilla will also appear in an
episode of TV soap EastEnders, on BBC One at 19:30 BST. The royal couple will
join the residents of Albert Square at their Jubilee street party. At a service
of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday, there will be other
accommodations made for the Queen's comfort, with no ceremonial journey to the
event. If the monarch does attend, she will use a different entrance rather
than scaling the steps. And it is not certain she will make the planned trip to
Epsom for the Derby on Saturday. On that evening, the BBC's Party at the Palace
concert - set on three stages in front of Buckingham Palace - will see Diana
Ross, George Ezra, Alicia Keys and Nile Rodgers entertain a live crowd of
22,000 people and a television audience of millions. At the concert, heir to
the throne Prince Charles and his son, the Duke of Cambridge, will pay tribute
to the Queen who will be watching on television. On Sunday there will be street
parties, picnics and barbecues across the UK with more than 85,000 Big Jubilee
Lunches planned. The finale of the weekend will be the Jubilee Pageant which
will make its way through the streets of the capital with a cast of 6,000
performers and close to 200 celebrities. It will end with Ed Sheeran singing
the national anthem with a choir made up of "national treasures"
outside Buckingham Palace.
^ This was really something to
watch. ^
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