The crowd converges on Buckingham Palace: Elizabeth II launches there Thursday from the most famous balcony in the world the festivities of her 70 years on the throne, an unprecedented longevity celebrated in a period of transition for the British monarchy.
Pennants, flags and giant portraits were hung in the streets across the UK and royal family stalwarts pitched their tents in London to get a front row seat to the 96-year-old monarch’s Platinum Jubilee, to the health declining today.
Never has a British sovereign reigned as long as Elizabeth, who ascended the throne at the age of 25 on February 6, 1952 on the death of her father, George VI. It is unlikely that another will achieve such longevity: Charles, the crown prince is 73 years old, his son William will soon be 40 years old.
Fellowship time
This extended four-day weekend, with parades and street parties to celebrate the ultra-popular monarch, a symbol of stability over decades of upheaval for the country, brings respite and a moment of communion to the British following several years of heartbreak around Brexit and strict confinements due to Covid-19, now followed by historic inflation.
“I hope that the next few days will be an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved over the past 70 years, while looking to the future with confidence and enthusiasm,” the sovereign, head of the country, said in a written message. state of 15 kingdoms, from the United Kingdom to Canada to New Zealand.
The celebrations begin Thursday at 11:00 a.m. local (12:00 p.m. in Switzerland) with the traditional annual military parade of the Salute to the Colors, which Charles will inspect on horseback, as his mother once did. The monarch must appear twice briefly on the balcony, at 12.20 p.m. to greet the parade and then at 2 p.m. for an aerial flight.
At his side, the family will be limited to members who have official functions and their children. Exit therefore Prince Harry and Meghan, who will attend the parade from another building for their first return together to the United Kingdom since their sensational departure in California in 2020. Also missing is Prince Andrew, who paid millions of dollars to put put an end to a sexual assault complaint.
Growing role for Charles
Confirmed only Wednesday evening by the palace, the appearances of Elizabeth II, which have become rare, are eagerly awaited. Because her health worries: since a night in the hospital in October, she has canceled almost all her official appearances, replaced by Charles, including for the first time in May for the speech from the throne in Parliament.
Weakened since the death of her husband Philip last year, she struggles to walk and relies on a cane. She shows no willingness to back down, however, and has made several surprise appearances recently, smiling and relaxed.
In the United Kingdom, the queen remains pampered by her subjects with 75% of favorable opinions according to the YouGov institute, but her heir Charles is much less appreciated (50%). Young people are more divided than their elders on the monarchy, and, all ages combined, only 39% of Britons think that the institution will still exist in 100 years.
street parties
After the parade on Thursday morning, the Queen will take part in an evening ceremony with illuminations from Windsor Castle, on the outskirts of London, where she now resides. On Friday, a mass will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London with the royal family. On Saturday, the Queen will miss the prestigious Epsom Derby, according to the press, despite her passion for these horse races.
A big concert will follow at Buckingham Palace in the evening, with 22,000 people, and among the headliners Alicia Keys, Queen + Adam Lambert, Diana Ross. On Sunday, 10,000 people will parade through central London. Above all, millions of Britons will take part in thousands of neighborhood lunches and street parties, rare moments of communion to pay homage to a sovereign who has crossed, imperturbable, times and crises.
/ATS
