Queen gets the royal treatment for her jubilee
The Queen has begun four days of public celebrations for her platinum jubilee, gathering her family together for Trooping the Colour and a spectacular historic fly-past.
The roar began in the distance, rolling forward towards The Mall as a smiling Queen emerged on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to kickstart four days of celebrations marking her -platinum jubilee.
Tens of thousands of people crammed into central London on Thursday to watch the Trooping the Colour, and a spectacular fly-past of 71 planes and helicopters, the first official event of the festivities.
The Queen, wearing a lilac coat and hat, was delighted when 15 RAF jets formed the number 70 to acknowledge her record-breaking reign as they roared down The Mall and over Buckingham Palace.
Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte, couldn’t contain their delight, holding their hands over their ears as the planes flew overhead.
To kickstart the extended weekend, Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince William had earlier ridden on horseback to Horse Guards, with other royals in three carriages.
George, sitting beside Charlotte and Louis in the lead carriage, was excited by the huge crowds and a wave of cheers that rolled down The Mall, saying: “Wow. This is great.’’
The decision to abandon royal life would have hit the Sussexes at this point, who instead of waving to adoring fans were believed to have watched the events from a room overlooking Horse Guards.
To avoid any show of public displeasure, those on the balcony were to be “working” royals, keeping at a distance the most controversial and unpopular royals: Prince Harry and Meghan, who left the royal family to pursue commercial arrangements in the US, and Prince Andrew, who renounced all titles in the wake of his association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Sussexes and their children arrived by private jet from California on Wednesday to join the celebrations. The Queen is expected to meet for the first time the great-granddaughter named after her, Lilibet, when she turns one on Saturday.
“I am just going to ignore Meghan and Harry. This is the Queen’s moment,’’ said Sara Hindstone, 38, who had travelled from Bath and camped overnight to get a spot within sight of Buckingham Palace. “They left us. All my cheers are for the Queen.’’
Surrounding her were the “Her Maj-manics”, three sisters from Leicester behind Queen masks who described themselves as royal super-fans. “Long live the Queen, there won’t be too many times to say that in the future,’’ youngest sister Beth, 48, said.
Three protesters from a group called Animal Rebellion attempted to interrupt the celebrations, leaping a barrier and running into the centre of The Mall as a military band made its way to Horse Guards. They were quickly tackled by police.
Andrew was not expected to take a prominent role in the four days of partying. His daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, were also missing from the balcony because they do not fulfil working duties for the crown. Most of the family watched the Trooping the Colour from the Wellington Room overlooking Horse Guards Parade, with Charles taking the salute and ¬inspecting the troops alongside William and Anne.
The Queen has served 70 years since inheriting the throne when her father, King George VI, died on February 6, 1952.
In a personal message to the Commonwealth, including Australia, she said: “Thank you to everyone who has been involved in convening communities, families, neighbours and friends to mark my platinum jubilee, in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth. I know that many happy memories will be created at these festive occasions.
“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.”
Those on the balcony watched planes, including Spitfires, Red Arrows Hawks and a Lancaster bomber, fly overhead in a six-minute aerial flashback of the Queen’s era. They included Charles and Camilla; William and Kate with George, Charlotte and Louis; Prince Edward and Sophie and their children, Louise and James; Anne and Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence; the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
Union flag bunting, red, white and blue balloons, and royal-purple posters were strung across major buildings, including 10 Downing Street, pubs, shops and streets, as the nation prepared for unprecedented revelry until Sunday evening.
Beacons were to be lit across the Commonwealth on Thursday night, a service of thanksgiving will be held at St Paul’s on Friday, a spectacular Party at the Palace concert will he held on Saturday and a huge pageant will wind across London on Sunday, interspersed with tens of thousands of street parties, long lunches and community concerts. Singer Ed Sheeran is to conclude the festivities on Sunday evening.
The Queen, Philip and me
Samantha Cohen, who was first entranced by the royals when they visited Brisbane in 1977, became one of the most trusted royal aides.
‘Candidate for our times’ in Vogue
Kamala Harris has appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine, with the style bible calling her a ‘candidate for our times’.