Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless, The Associated Press Posted on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 5:30 AM EDT Last Updated on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 8:20 PM EDT
LONDON (AP) – Queen Elizabeth II cautiously stepped onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Thursday, garnering wild applause from the tens of thousands who came to join her at the start of her 70th birthday. years on the throne.
His fans wore Union Jack flags, party hats or plastic tiaras. Some had camped overnight in hopes of catching sight of the 96-year-old queen, whose appearances are becoming rare, and having the chance to see Trooping the Color, a military parade that has marked the official anniversary of each sovereign since 1760.
It was an explosion of joy among the massive crowd, one of the first major gatherings in the UK since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“Everyone has the same mission,” said Hillary Mathews, 70, who had come from Hertfordshire outside London. “All the horrors that are happening in the world and in England right now have been left behind for a day, and we can really enjoy celebrating the Queen.”
Elizabeth, who became queen at the age of 25, is Britain’s longest-serving monarch and the first to reach the seven-decade-old throne.
However, after a life of good health, age has begun to catch up. Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday afternoon that the Queen would not be attending a Thanksgiving church service on Friday after experiencing “some discomfort” at Thursday’s events. The palace said with “great reluctance” that the monarch has decided to skip the office in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The queen has had trouble moving in recent months and has retired from many public events.
But Elizabeth was involved Thursday night in lighting a string of ceremonial beacons at Windsor Castle as planned.
Jubilee celebrations last for a long weekend, and it was not immediately clear how the news would affect Saturday and Sunday’s Jubilee events.
The palace says “the queen really enjoyed” Thursday’s events, and she proved it.
He enjoyed his moment. Smiling, he chatted with his great-grandson, 4-year-old Prince Louis, who occasionally covered his ears as 70 old and new military planes docked on the palace to greet the queen. The six-minute show included a formation of Typhoon fighter jets flying in the shape of the number 70.
The queen, wearing a dark blue dove dress designed by Angela Kelly, was joined on the balcony by more than a dozen members of the royal family, though not Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who left office. royal front line two years ago. The couple traveled to London from their home in California with their two young children to discreetly participate in the celebrations and watched Thursday’s Trooping the Color with other family members.
They did not appear on the balcony of the palace, because the monarch decided that only the working members of the royal family should have this honor. The decision also easily ruled out Prince Andrew, who has stepped down from public office amid controversy over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew will also miss the Thanksgiving service on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19.
The jubilee is commemorated with a four-day holiday and event extravaganza that includes a concert at Buckingham Palace on Saturday and a pageant hosted by thousands of performers from schools and community groups across the country on Sunday. Thousands of street parties are planned across the country, 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 vacation. And 12 protesters were arrested on Thursday after crossing barriers and entering the parade route. The Animal Rebellion group claimed responsibility, saying protesters were “demanding that the royal lands be reclaimed.”
However, the jubilee offers many people, even those indifferent to the monarchy, the opportunity to reflect on the state of the nation and the great changes that have taken place during the reign of Elizabeth.
Former Prime Minister John Major, one of 14 prime ministers during the queen’s reign, said the monarch’s stoic presence had helped run the country for decades.
“The queen has been our best self for over 70 years,” she told the BBC.
In a written jubilee message, the Queen thanked the people of Britain and the whole Commonwealth involved in organizing the celebrations. This country likes a good party.
“I know a lot of happy memories will be created on these festive occasions,” Elizabeth said. “I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and I hope that the next few days will be an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved over the past 70 years, as we look to the future with confidence and excitement. “.
Congratulations came from world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Pope Francis. French President Emmanuel Macron called Elizabeth “the golden thread that binds our two countries together,” and former President Barack Obama recalled the queen’s “grace and generosity” during her first visit to the palace.
“Your life has been a gift, not just to the UK but to the world,” Obama told the BBC. “May the light of your crown continue to reign supreme.”
Cheers and hooves rang out Thursday as horse-drawn carriages carried members of the royal family, including Prince William’s wife Kate and their children, 8-year-old Prince George, 7-year-old Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, 4 years old. from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Riding Parade, a ceremonial parade ground one kilometer (0.6 miles) away, for the Trooping the Color ceremony.
The annual tradition is a ceremonial recreation of how battle flags, or colors, were once displayed to soldiers to make sure they recognized a crucial meeting point if they became disoriented in combat.
Prince Charles, the 73-year-old heir to the throne, played a key role during the event on Thursday in replacing his mother, as he has been doing more and more lately.
Dressed in his ceremonial military uniform, Charles rode to the runway of arms and was greeted by the passing troops in their scarlet robes and bear-skin hats. He was flanked by his sister, Princess Anne, and his eldest son, Prince William.
Tens of thousands of locals and tourists walked the route between the palace and the courtyard to enjoy the spectacle and the atmosphere.
“I was right in front … I’m very proud of the queen,” said Celia Lourd, 60. “She has been my queen all her life and I think we owe her a lot for the service she has rendered to the queen. So today I wanted to come and show my support and thank you.”