LONDON – Thousands gather outside Buckingham Palace for a star-studded concert where two future monarchs will pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday, the third day of a platinum jubilee extravaganza that marks his 70th year on the throne.
Prince Charles and Prince William, the queen’s son and grandson, will address a live audience of 22,000 people and millions more on television. The event with Alicia Keys, Queen and Adam Lambert will take place in a temporary amphitheater built around the Victoria Memorial outside the palace.
David Beckham and tennis player Emma Raducanu are among the attendees, while Diana Ross will close the show with her first live performance in the UK in 15 years. The concert will also feature a pre-recorded performance by Elton John.
The 96-year-old monarch is expected to miss the open-air event in the evening, which could be affected by some rain. The queen has had trouble moving lately, which the palace describes as “episodic mobility issues”, limiting her public appearances in recent months.
The news that the queen was unable to attend Saturday’s concert did not dampen the party atmosphere among the audience.
“It’s a magical experience … (That is) it will never happen again in our lives, and it’s absolutely amazing to be a part of it,” said Sam Ahcquoim of Cornwall, South West England. “I’ve been very, very excited and I can’t wait to get in now and start dancing.”
The Sovereign also chose not to attend Saturday’s Epsom Derby. Instead, she was represented at the prestigious annual horse race by her daughter, Princess Anne, who appeared at the royal box with her family as the crowd applauded and waved Union flags.
The queen is widely known as an avid horse lover, and has only missed the Epsom Derby a few times. Five of her former racehorses were paraded on Saturday and 40 jockeys they have ridden for the queen formed a guard of honor before the national anthem sounded.
“I have been breeding horses for over 60 years. He knows all the bloodlines and has won many races and has a lot of knowledge, “Frankie Dettori, who was part of the course with other jockeys, told the BBC.
“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 met Friday in St. Louis. Paul’s 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.
In another sign of thawing relationships, royal Twitter accounts wished Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet a happy first birthday. Lilibet turned one year old on Saturday. She and her older brother, Archie, have not yet made an appearance during this trip.
“Wishing Lilibet a very happy first birthday!” Tweeted the royal family’s account.
Meanwhile, other 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 50s-themed 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.
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Follows the AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II a