LONDON –
We now know what’s in Queen Elizabeth II’s handbag.
The long-held mystery was solved on Saturday when the British monarch made the second star turn of his career, appearing in a mini-film to kick off a concert celebrating his 70th year on the throne. The sketch showed the queen drinking a cream tea with the British national treasure Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace.
After drinking all the tea and destroying the cakes, the bear with the deepest Peruvian canvas coat told Elizabeth that he always had a reserve of jam sandwiches with him, raising his red hat to reveal his favorite sweet .
“Me too,” replied the queen before opening the bag, and declaring, “I keep mine here.”
The scene was reminiscent of the time Elizabeth appeared as Bond Girl in a short film for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
“Her Majesty is well known for her sense of humor, so it should come as no surprise that she has decided to take part in tonight’s sketch,” the palace said. “There was an interest in the filming and animation process and the opportunity to invite a famous bear to a tea party was too much fun to miss.”
The performance of the queen with a lively bear provoked laughter and loud applause from the crowd overflowing at the concert in front of Buckingham Palace which was the culmination of the third of four festivities to celebrate its platinum jubilee. The 96-year-old monarch did not attend the concert in person, which the palace described as “episodic mobility problems”.
Despite the queen’s absence, spirits were high during an event that culminated in the appearances of the monarch’s son and grandson. Prince Charles and his son Prince William paid tribute to the queen in separate speeches that honored the past and looked to the future.
Anne Middleton, 61, who traveled from Cardiff to Wales for the jubilee celebrations, said she loved the Paddington sketch and that the Queen’s decision to skip the event did not go well. attenuate the festivities.
“Not for me,” she said, dressed upside down with the flags of the United Kingdom and Wales. “She showed up the first day and we know she would have been there if she could have been.”
Charles opened his brief address to the Queen as “Your Majesty, Mummy,” and then paid tribute to his “selfless service life.”
The Queen’s eldest son and heir recalled the growing list of world leaders Elizabeth has known and the endless piles of state newspapers she has reviewed during a reign that has now spread since the early days of the Cold War. until the information age. But he also highlighted his mother’s role as a symbol of stability, unifying the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth as they negotiated this rapidly changing world.
“You’ve known us and talked to us. Laugh and cry with us, and most importantly, you’ve been there for us for 70 years,” Charles said as scenes of the queen’s life were projected on the walls of the palau. “You pledged to serve your whole life; keep fulfilling. That’s why we’re here. That’s what we’re celebrating tonight.”
William preceded his father with comments emphasizing the Queen’s long-standing commitment to the environment, stressing the need to combat climate change. The presentation began with a clip of the Queen’s 1989 Christmas message, in which she called on all nations to work together to protect the Earth for “our children and our children’s children.”
That message is still relevant today, William said.
“It is my firm hope that my grandmother’s words will be as true in 70 years as they are tonight, that as nations we will unite in a common cause, because then there is always room for hope. “.
The Queen has not attended any of the jubilee celebrations since Thursday, when she greeted fans from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The monarch also decided not to go to the Epsom Derby in the early hours of Saturday, and was represented at the prestigious annual horse race by her daughter, Princess Anne.
The queen, known as a horse lover, has only missed the Epsom Derby a few times. On Saturday, five of her former racehorses paraded and 40 jockeys they have ridden for the queen formed an honor guard before the national anthem sounded.
“He’s been breeding horses for over 60 years,” Frankie Dettori, one of the jockeys, told the BBC. “She knows all the bloodlines and has won many races and has a lot of knowledge.”
“I’m sure he’ll find a TV today and watch it live, because he really likes the Derby,” he added.
It was the second time in so many days that the queen’s mobility problems deprived the crowd of the opportunity to see her.
On Friday, the Queen skipped a special Thanksgiving service in her honor at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Palace officials said he had experienced “some discomfort” at the previous day’s events, which included greeting large crowds from Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were among the nearly 50 members of the royal family who gathered Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral to honor the absent head of state. It was the couple’s first public appearance in the UK since they retired from royal duties and moved to California two years ago.
Aside from attending Friday’s service, the couple has so far remained out of the spotlight. Her two children, Archie and Lilibet, who did a Saturday, have not yet made an appearance during this trip. A spokesman for the couple said they spent the day “in private” and did not join some 30 members of the royal family at Saturday’s concert.
Meanwhile, members of the royal family traveled to Wales and Northern Ireland as part of the celebrations across the UK.
William and his wife Kate took two of their three children, 8-year-old Prince George and 7-year-old Princess Charlotte, to Cardiff Castle in Wales before a separate concert at the castle grounds in honor of the Queen.
The Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, visited a 1950s beachfront fair in Belfast. Edward tried to get a pint of Guinness in a restaurant, while Sophie did a dance show in the 50’s and 60’s.