Miniature Union Jacks strings fluttered in the breeze outside Tea & Sympathy, the British tea house in the West Village, as Americans and expats gathered on Saturday to cheer on Queen Elizabeth II and the 70th anniversary of her reign.
“Where else would a Briton be in New York?” asked London-born Amanda Rodrigues as she waited for a celebratory tea. “No other monarch in history has served for 70 years. There is no one like her.”
Attendees at the party snacked on sandwiches and fish and chips while a jazz band played outside the Greenwich Ave.
The queen herself even appeared, in the form of a life-size cutout that customers put next to her to take selfies.
Sophie Hays, a 34-year-old Essex native, a Brooklyn photo retoucher, wore a fascinating lavender, ruffled, and festive dress that is often seen adorning the heads of female guests at royal weddings.
“Platinum is very important,” he said as he waited for tea with his fiancé Chris Hart, 37, and an Australian friend, Michael Haydon, 34. The three shared a pot of tea and champagne. English breakfast while they were making miniature cakes. and buns with coagulated cream from a three-tier tray.
Amanda Rodrigues and Tea & Symphony owner Nicky Perry celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee.BRIGITTE STELZER Tristan Layton and Millie Gibbons, both from England, celebrate the big weekend.BRIGITTE STELZER
“When we decided we were going to do this, I said I had to wear the hat,” Hays added. “It’s an English tradition.”
Jess Lucas, 25, of North Wales, took the morning off from her au pair job in Westchester to celebrate Queen’s Big Day.
“She’s an icon, isn’t she? She always looks good,” Lucas said. “Seventy years of reign are a long time. He has been reigning for so long and brings so much tourism to the country. “
Lucas, whose brother is a Welsh guard at Buckingham Palace, was well aware of the cheerful actions on the other side of the pond.
“Everyone at home is partying on the street,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to see all the decorations … a pleasure to see everyone join in. I’m hearing British accents everywhere.”
Partygoers enjoyed the evening at Tea & Sympathy.BRIGITTE STELZER Jess Lucas celebrated the anniversary by taking the morning off from her au pair job in Westchester to celebrate Queen’s Big Day.BRIGITTE STELZER People enjoyed eating sandwiches and fish and chips.BRIGITTE STELZER
The restaurant kicked off the parties with special Union Jack dresses for female employees and the appearance of Flotilla, a well-known drag queen in a long psychedelic dress, who acted as a judge for a “queen for a day” contest. “.
Hays and his purple cap won the title, claiming a sequin band and flag.
“It’s an honor,” he smiled. “It felt great.”
“Today is another example of our city’s multiculturalism,” said state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan), who stopped by for a glass of champagne and a Cornish chicken sandwich.
“It’s always nice to have a little bit of Britain on Greenwich Avenue.”