The Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving and Carriage Procession, 5 June 2012

[Nico]

I'm not sure what they were trying to say by only having Charles, Camilla, William, Kate and Harry as part of the celebrations.

Well the sign is clear : the next reign is getting irremediably closer. We are now in a transition phase.
How brillant it was, these celebrations had, imo, a far more serious and grave aspect than the joyous golden jubilee. The absence of the DOE and the sometimes exhausted figure of the Queen didn't help to dissipate the sad feeling that we're now seeing the final phase of Elizabeth II 's reign.

[Poolbabe]

Originally Posted by Nico

Well the sign is clear : the next reign is getting irremediably closer. We are now in a transition phase.
How brillant it was, these celebrations had, imo, a far more serious and grave aspect than the joyous golden jubilee. The absence of the DOE and the sometimes exhausted figure of the Queen didn't help to dissipate the sad feeling that we're now seeing the final phase of Elizabeth II 's reign.

I thought Her Majesty looked VERY tired today....

[Artemisia]

Originally Posted by suze2801

Why were so few of the royals on the balcony - would have thought that this would have been a perfect opportunity to see the children and grandchildren? What was the reason for choosing only 1 son and 2 grandchildren. I'm confused and a bit disappointed

The entire Royal Family has been out in force for all the previous occasions, from Pageant, to today's Thanksgiving Service. This balcony appearance, however, was about continuity and succession; as such, Her Majesty saw it fit that only her Heir (Prince Charles) and his family were present.

Come Trooping the Colour, we'll see a more familiar Buckingham Palace balcony - with all the children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins present.

[Artemisia]

Originally Posted by Poolbabe

I thought Her Majesty looked VERY tired today....

Which is only understandable.
The exhausting Pageant in dreadful conditions, followed by her husband being hospitalised, followed by a late night concert she felt compelled to attend (not to disappoint the hundreds of thousands who had gathered), followed by today's action-packed events. Even someone much younger would have looked tired (and indeed, all the younger royals did), but for a 86-year-old woman, Her Majesty looked pretty relaxed and composed.

[Lady Ann]

Originally Posted by Poolbabe

Do you know this is the one thing that really annoys me....

Kate Middleton, Prince William Salute Queen Elizabeth II at Service of Thanksgiving - UsMagazine.com

The fact that over a year since their wedding The Duchess Of Cambridge is still been called Kate Middleton in the American Tabloids

Well, is the Middleton part that annoys you? I don't see why as British papers do this as well, and futher more they still call The Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of York, and The Late Diana,Princess of Wales by their former names as well... seems not too much of a big deal. She has been Kate Middleton for 28 an half years, and the later for only one...seems natural.

[Poolbabe]

Originally Posted by Artemisia

Which is only understandable.
The exhausting Pageant in dreadful conditions, followed by her husband being hospitalised, followed by a late night concert she felt compelled to attend (not to disappoint the hundreds of thousands who had gathered), followed by today's action-packed events. Even someone much younger would have looked tired (and indeed, all the younger royals did), but for a 86-year-old woman, Her Majesty looked pretty relaxed and composed.

With the concert,she had to attend in order to light the final beacon of the jubilee to be lit. we couldn't have Prince Charles or Another Royal Doing it,Cos it's not their Jubilee Celebrations.

[Elly C]

Whilst I get the comments about this signalling a new era , so much of the jubilee celebrations have been about celebrating the 60 years. Now the Queen!s children have been at the centre of things throughout much of her reign, so I would have thought they should have shared the balcony appearance too. But hey ho it has been a terrific four days.

[Baroness of Books]

Originally Posted by RoyalistRiley

Can someone provide some source of this? I've only heard if this "Royal Family lite" concept in connection to Charles's accession. I simply think that on such a grand occasion such as this it was a tiny bit of a let down to see six of them on the balcony, that's all.

Isn't this part of the Way Ahead strategy, the downsizing of the Royal Family to the immediate heirs? It still would have been nice to see HM's other children there, though, for what is an historic event and celebrating the Queen's accomplishments of the past 60 years. A second appearance with her other children and grandchildren would have been lovely to see, especially if this is no longer being done.

[AdmirerUS]

I agree they look tired. I've thought Prince William looked tired and stressed for a lot of the weekend. It must be hard to work the hours he does, sometimes till the last shift before then to hurry back to London (or wherever) to make an appearance. He just seemed to have a lot on his mind, even during the flotilla, before his grandfather became ill.

[Poolbabe]

Originally Posted by AdmirerUS

I agree they look tired. I've thought Prince William looked tired and stressed for a lot of the weekend. It must be hard to work the hours he does, sometimes till the last shift before then to hurry back to London (or wherever) to make an appearance. He just seemed to have a lot on his mind, even during the flotilla, before his grandfather became ill.

I might be wrong with this, but i think he has to decide by the end of the year whether to continue in the RAF or Commit Fully to the Royal Family.

[Viv]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

The next generation,that makes sense.

Yes ! It's been a celebration of a reign of sixty years and it
makes sense to focus on the next two generations. Continuity!
IMO this is not a snub of the other performing members of the
royal family; it was a celebration of a particular monarch and the monarchy as well. Bringing the entire family on the Chartwell and
in carriages could easily have tipped the delicate balance, which
BP has obviously operated with!

From my vantage point on the other side of the North Sea: It's
been a brilliant four days and there's every reason to congratulate
HM and the British people on a wonderful jubilee. As mentioned on a different thread: IMO the only eyesore - and HM
sore??- was the OTT rigging of The spirit of Charwell.

Viv

[Al_bina]

Spletnik -The Jubilee Service
Thanks for the photos and updates!
It is great to see Prince and Princess Michael attending the event with Lord and Lady Frederic. It is sad that Lady Gabriella did not attends.

[AdmirerUS]

Yes and I just hope he does not let the decision become a drag. I think we all tend to root for Prince William to be happy - not only because of what he has faced in life so far but because of the large tasks ahead of him.
Plus - he's just so handsome! :))

[AdmirerUS]

This is a lovely photo of Her Majesty arriving back at the home digs. Queen Elizabeth II Holds A Bouquet Of Flowers As She
But look to the right at the young lady at the door. Has she borrowed someone's uniform to sneak a peak and the royals coming back home?

[angela]

I thought William and Harry looked terribly exposed and uncomfortable on the balcony. I think the enormity of their future roles seemed to dawn on them today and I thought they seemed a bit intimidated. Charles may be puting too much pressure on them if he really intends to exclude his brothers and sister when he becomes King.

On a more family related note I firmly beleive that all of the Queen's family and grandchildren should have joined her on the balcony on such an historic day. They could have arranged such an appearance and then a second appearance with just Charles and his family afterwards.

[An Ard Ri]

Look at the rain falling now in London!

[Poolbabe]

looking at the highlights again on the news. there were six members of the Royal Family on the Balcony. One For Every Decade Of Her Reign..

[angela]

I'm so gutted that Ella Windsor wasn't there. Where is she these days AAARRGH!

[Poolbabe]

Originally Posted by angela

I'm so gutted that Ella Windsor wasn't there. Where is she these days AAARRGH!

I believe she is studying in oxford, so maybe she had exams or something?

[elizabeth_c]

I throughly enjoyed watching the festivities on television this morning. How happy everyone looked.