From the BBC:
“Platinum Jubilee: Queen
portrait released as UK set for celebrations”
An official photograph of the
Queen has been released ahead of celebrations to mark her Platinum Jubilee. The
portrait, by Ranald Mackechnie, was taken in the Victoria Vestibule at Windsor
Castle earlier this year. In her Jubilee message the monarch thanked people for
organising events to celebrate her milestone, saying "many happy
memories" would be created. Millions are gearing up for street parties to
mark 70 years on the throne over the four-day bank holiday weekend. There are
also a series of official events starting with Thursday's Trooping of the
Colour parade and ending on Sunday with a Jubilee Pageant through London. The
specially commissioned portrait pictures show the Queen looking contented,
sitting on a cushioned window seat at the castle which has been her main home
for the last couple of years. The historic residence's famous Round Tower is
visible in the distance. Mr Mackechnie took two previous portraits of the Queen
alongside the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince George to mark
her 90th birthday in 2016.
In her Jubilee message the
monarch said: "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." The traditional Trooping of the Colour parade
to mark the Queen's official birthday will involve more than 1,500 officers and
soldiers and 350 horses from the Household Division, as well as an RAF flypast.
The 96-year-old monarch, who has mobility issues and has recently cancelled
several public appearances, is likely to join members of the Royal Family on
the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch the display. The Duke and Duchess of
Sussex will watch the parade, although they will not appear on the balcony. The
couple, who now live in the US, will have a prime vantage point from the Duke
of Wellington's former office, overlooking Horse Guards Parade, where they will
watch Prince Charles inspect the guardsmen and officers and take their salute
in his mother's place. They are travelling with their children Archie, three,
and Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday. Lilibet is the Queen's family nickname.
The Queen's son Prince Andrew, whose royal titles were returned to the Crown
amid a lawsuit in the US, will not be present.
Analysis box by Sean Coughlan,
royal correspondent For any big family gathering there are questions to
smooth out before it gets started. Like who is going to be there. There's
been speculation about when we might see the Queen over the Jubilee weekend.
A couple of events will be her priorities - and Thursday's Trooping the
Colour and the Buckingham Palace balcony will be one of them. Although
it will be Prince Charles who inspects the troops, taking on another ceremonial
task. It's been made clear that Prince Andrew won't be at this first
showcase event. But Prince Harry and Meghan, although very publicly not
invited on the palace balcony, will be watching with other members of the Royal
Family through windows above Horse Guards Parade. It looks a bit like a
balcony, so maybe it's building bridges one step at a time. After all
that planning, the celebrations and the long holiday weekend can finally begin.
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
monarch is to lead the lighting of the principle Jubilee beacon in a special
ceremony at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace said. Also on Thursday the Prince
of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will guest star in an episode of TV soap
EastEnders, on BBC One at 19:30 BST. Prince Charles and Camilla 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. Ahead of the celebrations, the Queen
took a short break at Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, but returned to Windsor
on Tuesday. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected in the UK for the
jubilee, but they will not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Saturday is
the first birthday of their daughter Lilibet - who is named after the Queen's
family nickname. The Queen's granddaughter Princess Eugenie has led tributes to
her in an article in the Spectator, describing her "grannie" as
"a woman who has transcended time and has been that constant rock for so
many when the world can feel so fragile". She said she would love her son
August to "have her patience, her calmness and her kindness, while always
being able to laugh at himself and keep a twinkle in his eye".
Scotland's First Minister Nicola
Sturgeon congratulated the monarch on a "lifetime of service" and
urged all Scots to mark her "values of integrity, wisdom, justice and
compassion" - regardless of their views on the British monarchy. Not
everyone will be celebrating the occasion. Anti-monarchy campaign group
Republic said a recent poll had shown the British public "just aren't that
bothered about royal events". Speaking for the group, Graham Smith said:
"The jubilee is not a national celebration, it is a carefully staged event
to promote the monarchy and the royal brand." Culture Secretary Nadine
Dorries told BBC Radio 4's The World At One that the UK monarchy was
"stronger than ever" despite recent scandals and said the jubilee
would be an opportunity for people to "relax a bit and have some fun"
after a terrible couple of years of Covid.
^ Hopefully the Queen is able to
attend all or most of these events in her honor. ^
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