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Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 70 years on British throne

By The Associated Press - | Jun 4, 2022

LONDON (AP) – Queen Elizabeth II stepped gingerly onto the Buckingham Palace balcony Thursday, drawing wild cheers from the tens of thousands who came to join her at the start of four days of celebrations of her 70 years on the throne.

Her fans sported Union Jack flags, party hats or plastic tiaras. Some had camped overnight in hope of a glimpse of the 96-year-old queen, whose appearances are becoming rare, and a chance to watch the Trooping the Color — a military parade that has marked each sovereign’s official birthday since 1760.

It was an explosion of joy in a massive crowd, one of the first big gatherings since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two year ago.

“Everybody has got the same mission,” said Hillary Mathews, 70, who had come from Hertfordshire, outside London. “All the horrors that’s been going on in the world and in England at the moment are put behind us for a day, and we can just enjoy really celebrating the queen.”

Elizabeth, who became queen at the age of 25, is Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and the first to reach the milestone of seven decades on the throne.

She basked in her moment. Smiling, she chatted with her great-grandson Prince Louis, 4, who occasionally covered his ears as 70 military aircraft old and new swooped low over the palace to salute the queen. The six-minute display included a formation of Typhoon fighter jets flying in the shape of the number 70.

The queen, wearing a dusky dove blue dress designed by Angela Kelly, was joined on the balcony by more than a dozen royals — though not Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who gave up front-line royal duties two years ago. The couple traveled to London from their home in California with their two young children to take a low-key part in the celebrations, and watched Thursday’s Trooping the Color with other members of the family.

They did not appear on the palace balcony, because the monarch decided that only working members of the royal family should have that honor. The decision also, handily, excluded Prince Andrew, who stepped away from public duties amid controversy over his links with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew will also miss a service of thanksgiving Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London after testing positive for COVID-19.

The jubilee is being commemorated with a four-day holiday extravaganza and events including a concert at Buckingham Palace on Saturday and a pageant staged by thousands of performers drawn from schools and community groups around the country on Sunday.

Thousands of street parties are planned nationwide, repeating a tradition that began with the queen’s coronation in 1953.

Not everyone in Britain is celebrating. Many people have taken advantage of the long weekend to go on holiday. And 12 protesters were arrested Thursday after getting past barriers and onto the parade route. The group Animal Rebellion claimed responsibility, saying the protesters were “demanding that royal land is reclaimed.”

Yet the jubilee is giving many people — even those often indifferent to the monarchy — a chance to reflect on the state of the nation and the huge changes that have taken place during Elizabeth’s reign.

Former Prime Minister John Major, one of the 14 prime ministers of the queen’s reign, said the monarch’s stoic presence had helped steer the country over the decades,

“The queen has represented our better selves for over 70 years,” he told the BBC.

In a written jubilee message, the queen thanked people in Britain and across the Commonwealth involved in organizing the celebrations. For many, the occasion is the first opportunity for a big bash since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than two years ago.

“I know that many happy memories will be created at these festive occasions,” Elizabeth 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.”

Congratulations arrived from world leaders, including Pope Francis and U.S. President Joe Biden. French President Emmanuel Macron called Elizabeth “the golden thread that binds our two countries” and former President Barack Obama recalled the queen’s “grace and generosity” during his first visit to the palace.

“Your life has been a gift, not just to the United Kingdom but to the world,” Obama said in a video message, adding: “May the light of your crown continue to reign supreme.”

Cheers and the clop of hooves rang out Thursday as horse-drawn carriages carried members of the royal family, including Prince William’s wife, Kate, and their children Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and 4-year-old Prince Louis, from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade, a ceremonial parade ground about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) away, for the Trooping the Color ceremony.

The annual tradition is a ceremonial reenactment of the way battle flags, or colors, were once displayed for soldiers to make sure they would recognize a crucial rallying point if they became disoriented in combat.

Prince Charles played a key role during the event as he stood in for his mother. Elizabeth has had trouble getting around of late, and her courtiers have been careful to keep make things as simple for her as possible, letting Charles take on more tasks..

Clad in his ceremonial military uniform, Charles rode onto the parade ground on horseback and took the salute of the passing troops in their scarlet tunics and bearskin hats. He was flanked by his sister, Princess Anne, and son Prince William.

Tens of thousands of locals and tourists lined the route between palace and parade ground to take in the spectacle and the atmosphere.

“I was right at the front … I’m very proud of the queen,” said Celia Lourd, 60. “She’s been my queen all my life and I think we owe her an awful lot for the service she’s given to the country, so I wanted to come to show my support today and say thank you.”

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ROYAL JUBILEE FAST FACTS

QUEEN ELIZABETH’S REIGN

Elizabeth, then 25, became queen on Feb. 6, 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI. Her formal coronation took place on June 2, 1953, in Westminster Abbey, but her reign began the moment her father died.

Now 96, she is Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and the first to reach seven decades on the throne.

The public celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee are being held in June to coincide with the queen’s official birthday (her actual birthday is in April) and to take advantage of the warmer weather.

•••

JUBILEE EVENTS

Saturday, June 4 – Platinum Party at the Palace. Motown star Diana Ross headlines this concert, which will include multimedia presentations celebrating the cultural highlights of the queen’s reign. Some 22,000 people will attend, including 7,500 seats devoted to key workers, volunteers and charities. Tickets were also distributed through a public ballot.

Performers include musicians Queen, Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers, Andrea Bocelli, Duran Duran, Mabel and George Ezra, wildlife documentarian David Attenborough, sports stars David Beckham and Emma Raducanu, and actress Julie Andrews.

Sunday, June 5 – The celebrations conclude with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday afternoon. The bells of Westminster Abbey will chime before the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry leads the Gold State Coach along the parade route from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace. Scenes from the queen’s coronation will be projected on the coach’s windows as it travels toward the palace followed by more than 10,000 performers, including schoolchildren, community groups and military bands. The event on the Mall, the broad, tree-lined boulevard that leads to the palace, will feature pop star Ed Sheeran, dancers, acrobats, vintage cars and depictions of the queen’s favorite corgis and horses in performances highlighting the changes in British society during Elizabeth’s long reign.

•••

JUBILEE GLOSSARY

Trooping the Color: The name refers to a regimental flag, or “color,” that is trooped through the ranks in a ceremonial reenactment of the way battle flags were once shown to soldiers to make sure they recognized this crucial rallying point if they became disoriented in combat. The ceremony is believed to have originated in the reign of King Charles II (1660-1685) and became an annual event after King George III’s accession in 1760.

The troops that take part in the event come from the Army’s Household Division, composed of the seven regiments that perform ceremonial duties for the queen. They are fully trained soldiers who are often deployed overseas when not on ceremonial duty. Each year a different unit has the honor of trooping its color. The 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards will be in the spotlight during the Platinum Jubilee.

Beacons: Beacon lighting is a traditional element of royal celebrations that stretches back to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. It is a way for people around the country to take part in festivities that are usually held far away in London. In the age of television, beacon lightings offer stunning pictures as flames leap from bonfires, metal braziers and straw sculptures just as night falls.

Gold State Coach: The coach carried Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to her coronation in 1953. Made of gilded wood and decorated with ornate carvings and painted side panels, it is drawn by eight horses. The coach was commissioned for King George III, who used it for the first time during the state opening of Parliament in 1762. It has been used for every coronation since that time. The coach is normally on display at the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace and was last used for the queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

•••

THE LINE OF SUCCESSION

1. Prince Charles, the queen’s eldest son, is heir to the throne and will become king when his mother dies. Charles is married to Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. He is followed in the line of succession by:

2. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, the eldest son of Charles and the late Princess Diana. The next three places are held by William’s children, in order of their birth: Prince George of Cambridge, born in July 2013; Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, born in May 2015; Prince Louis of Cambridge, born in April 2018.

6. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of Charles and Diana. The next two places are held by Harry’s children, in order of their birth: Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, born in May 2019; Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, born in June 2021.

9. Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband, Prince Philip.

10. Princess Beatrice, elder daughter of Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson. Beatrice is married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. She is followed in the line of succession by her daughter: Sienna Mapelli Mozzi.

12: Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Eugenie is married to Jack Brooksbank. She is followed in the line of succession by her son: August Brooksbank.

NOTE: the complete line of succession includes 24 members of the royal family.

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