Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee

[coracle]

This weekend in London and many other places in Britain, there are celebrations for the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne.
She is Queen of a number of countries around the world, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

If you feel enthusiastic for things British, this is the time to wave a Union Jack (the flag), sing "God Save the Queen", and maybe enjoy a special afternoon tea.

http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/

In Britain/UK there is a four-day weekend with plenty of events, right down to decorating one's own home, and having a party in the street with neighbours.

Are you celebrating? Or if you decide to join in the fun, please tell us about it.

I was living in London 10 years ago for the Golden Jubilee, so I will upload some photos soon.

[ForeverFan]

I am most certainly celebrating it, even though at the moment it will be limited to flying our Union Jacks (somehow, as we do not have a proper flag pole) if the weather is nice, and being in general in a very patriotic spirit, and listening to "God Save the Queen" and singing it and whatnot. Jolly good fun, I think.

Of course, I dearly wish I could be in London at the moment, it would be a once in a lifetime event and one I'm sure I'd always hold dear. But hopefully I'll be there when King Charles III celebrates a special anniversary (although it unfortunately shan't be a diamond jubilee for him), or at the very latest one of King William V's jubilees.

Anyway, we're all ardent monarchists in my family, so it ought to be fun this week end, even if we do not do much in our little part of the wilderness of British North America....

[Meltintalle]

Our local radio station played an interview with the husband of one of the announcers this morning. The husband was one of the choir boys at the coronation. It was interesting. They followed that with a radio clip of the Duke of Norfolk (? I knew it was somewhere important in the peerage but I've blanked on a positive identification ) swearing allegiance while the choir sang.

It was a very solemn moment.

Also, they don't make radio announcers the way they used to.

[coracle]

I was able to get some great photos in June 2002 in central London, watching many spruced up horses and soldiers accompany the Queen in her gold coach, and the Royal Family in large open carriages, on their way to a thanksgiving service at St Paul's.


Her Majesty is waving from the coach. I was at the front of the crowd only a few feet away!


The coach came back after taking the Queen to St Paul's for the celebration service, and I was able to get some better photos of it.


Here is a fuller photo.

[coracle]

Please forgive my double posting, but here are some more from the Golden Jubilee - two from the street party in our street (I felt very lucky, as no other streets nearby held one!)




and one of fifty London buses painted gold for the golden jubilee (they stayed that way for several weeks or months).

[ForeverFan]

Those pictures are lovely, coracle! Thank you for sharing them. That is great that you were able to get a good vantage point and were quite close. Although not from one of the Queen's jubilees, when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came to Canada in 2010 for Dominion Day, my parents, brother, and cousin went down to Ottawa for the day, and were able to get quite close to the front stage where she and the Duke were sitting. Certainly memorable.

[King_Erlian]

I've been celebrating by having a long lie-in bed (as late as 8.30 am), and then snoozing in the bath for three hours this afternoon.

[Shadowlander]

I think Queen Victoria may have the slight lead over Elizabeth II in terms of longevity on the throne....wasn't she monarch for 70-something years? What comes after a Diamond Jubilee?

[coracle]

No, Queen Victoria also reached 60... she reigned for 63 years and 7 months.
She inherited at the age of 18, whereas Queen Elizabeth became queen at 22.

[stargazer]

I enjoyed watching today's coverage of all the ships sailing up the Thames and the crowds which gathered to watch.

[King_Erlian]

But hopefully I'll be there when King Charles III celebrates a special anniversary...

Apparently Charles has said he doesn't want to be known as King Charles III when he ascends to the throne, because of the not-so-favourable associations with Charles I and II. Instead, he wants to be called King George VII (George is one of his middle names).

[ForeverFan]

Apparently Charles has said he doesn't want to be known as King Charles III when he ascends to the throne, because of the not-so-favourable associations with Charles I and II. Instead, he wants to be called King George VII (George is one of his middle names).

Interesting, indeed. I had not heard that, but I had wondered of course what he would name he would pick. While I personally rather like Charles I and II enough to like the thought of a Charles III, having a George VII wouldn't be bad either. We have had better success with Georges, anyway. Thank you for sharing that.