The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations 2012

[Artemisia]

I remember reading a newspaper article from 1901, printed just before Queen Victoria's funeral was to take place. The writer said that the Queen's death was a heavy blow, an end of an era, and that there was a widespread despair because for most people, Queen Victoria was the only Monarch they had known in their lifetime.
I guess it's the same with Queen Elizabeth; she is THE Monarch for most British people (and those from other Commonwealth Realms). In a way, she is Britain. I can't really think of the country without thinking of Her Majesty.

Now, I'm sure Prince Charles will be a wonderful Monarch when the time comes (probably, like Edward VII who came to reign after his own glorious mother), but I also hope will get to see a Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Thanks a lot for that video, EIIR; I really do love Trooping the Colour ceremony!

 

[EIIR]

No probs folks, I freely admit to having a real soft spot for Trooping.

Just a quick update on the preparations that are underway around the Victoria Memorial, which will be where the huge Diamond Jubilee concert will be. The whole Mall has been closed to traffic for several days now.

Preparations For The Diamond Jubilee Concert Take Place

Also, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been given the very rare honour of replacing the Household Cavalry as the Queen's personal body guard and will take part in the Changing the Life Guard ceremony. This is very rare as it's normally soldiers who guard the Queen, not police.

Tourists Watch As Constable Jennifer Mcrae A Member Of The

Another Diamond Jubilee event is being held tonight at BP when the Queen will be meeting hundreds of leading cultural figures at one of the most glittering gatherings of actors, writers and artists the UK has seen.

Guests include Sir Jonathan Ive (British designer of the iPod, iPad and iPhone among others) who was just knighted today, Sir Derek Jacobi, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Paul McCartney, David Hockney, Bono, playwriight Alan Bennett, soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, artist Dame Paula Rego, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Maureen Lipman, Joanna Lumley, Tom Courtenay, Joan Collins, Richard Briers, Martin Clunes, Julian Barnes, Michael Morpurgo (author of War Horse) and Philip Pullman.

There are 850 guests coming along. The Queen will have her picture taken with 30 artistic Dames.

BBC News - Diamond Jubilee: Arts A-list gathers for the Queen

What a lineup. Not many people could get 850 people of that calibre together at the same party. A wonderful tribute to HM.

 

[iceflower]

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Queen Elizabeth, the Countess of Wessex, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra attended a special 'Celebration of the Arts' event and a reception at the Royal Academy of Arts in London today, May 23, 2012.



** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 **


** gettyimages/zimbio gallery: Queen Elizabeth II Visits The Royal Academy Of Arts **


** dailymail: Who looks most regal? Lily Cole puts on her sparkling tiara to meet the Queen at Diamond Jubilee celebration of the arts **

 

[MagMil]

Amazing pictures .The Queen is so lovely
I especially like this one, Joan Collins courtesy to the Queen and the Queen have her perfect smile
But also I'm little disappointed because we haven't see any pictures of the Countess of Wessex, the Duke of Kent or Princess Alexandra

 

[EIIR]

HM looks great. She's carrying a cute little handbag.

On the other hand, Joan Collins should burn that dress she's got on.

 

[MichelleQ2]

i agree - i think its left over from her dynasty days.

 

[EIIR]

I think she's clinging on to her glory days a bit too tightly. I mean, she's almost 80. At some point you have to admit that you're not going to win the battle.

 

[KittyAtlanta]

For almost 80, she looks pretty OK. The camera angle is quite awkward, but Ms. Collins does seem to be quite bloated. I hope she's not ill. MailOnline has more photos of the Arts gathering.

 

[Humera]

Also, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been given the very rare honour of replacing the Household Cavalry as the Queen's personal body guard and will take part in the Changing the Life Guard ceremony. This is very rare as it's normally soldiers who guard the Queen, not police.

Tourists Watch As Constable Jennifer Mcrae A Member Of The

It was the Queen's personal wish that the mounties stand guard for her, this is the first time ever in history that that's been done...she has a very personal/close relationship with the RCMP.

Also, Constable Mcrae who's pictured above is the first Canadian woman ever to stand guard for the Queen.

This brief news clip from the CBC explains the event: CBC.ca Player


Mounties guard the Queen in London for a day

. . . Their turn guarding Queen Elizabeth II, at her majesty's invitation, marks the first time a non-British, non-military unit has been tasked with guarding the ceremonial gates to the royal residence. Mounties guard the Queen in London for a day | CTV News

 

[MagMil]

I found just one picture from other royals
Countess of Wessex looks absolutely fabulous
here is a video from the event
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xo9By8eegIU

one more including Zara and Princess Royal also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKMfnu4GFgY&feature=g-u-u

 

[Daria_S]

Everything is looking spectacular for next weekend. It'll be exciting to watch everything happen (hopefully my Internet will work). Her Majesty and the Countess of Wessex looked absolutely spectacular.

 

[LadyoftheLake]

Here's the R.C.M.P. official site with more background:
Backgrounder - RCMP Participation in Celebrations of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee - Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

I do wish however they had been allowed to smile as the normally would here on a ceremonial guard.

It was a very nice gesture by Queen Elizabeth to include "Her Mounties" in this historical occasion!
Loved hearing that she had to peak out her window to watch them ride by!

 

[EIIR]

Truly an indication of HM's deep respect and admiration for the RCMP. I'm sure some of the tourists turning up to watch the changing the guard ceremony got a bit of a shock!

 

[Artemisia]

Lego has created a model of Buckingham Palace, including members of the Royal Family on the balcony, at the Legoland theme park in Windsor, west of London, on May 24, 2012.
- The Buckingham Palace 1
- The Buckingham Palace 2
- The royals on the balcony
- A 10cm high figure of Queen Elizabeth, with a real diamond-encrusted crown

 

[Daria_S]

Wow! Simply impressive. I remember seeing something like this on television once. A lovely tribute.

 

[Warren]

Royal Mail unveils special stamps to celebrate Queen¿s Diamond Jubilee | Mail Online
24 May 2012

Diamond Jubilee Royal Mail Stamps

Her side portrait appears on every standard British stamp.
But now letter-senders will be able to see the Queen from a range of different angles,
as the Royal Mail launches a new collection to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

The eight adhesive labels, featuring archive photographs, highlight some of the most memorable moments during her 60 year reign. From her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957 to inspecting the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh half a century later in 2007 the set reveals some of hugely diverse duties she has performed over the years.

Moya Greene, chief executive of the Royal Mail, said: 'The Diamond Jubilee, only the second in royal history, is a very important anniversary. The whole world’s attention will be drawn towards this special occasion. Royal Mail is honoured to have such an enduring relationship with the Queen. We are proud to mark the occasion by celebrating the official roles of the Queen with distinctive and memorable images, many of which have not been widely seen before. The stamps chart the Queen’s reign across the six decades and highlight her unwavering commitment to national duty.'

The stamps, on sale from May 31 at all Post Office branches, are the third and final stamp issue to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

v the stamps
​

 

[Warren]

One is not amusement: Queen Victoria memorial is turned into fairground-style stage for Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace | Mail Online
24 May 2012

Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace
​

Hold tight for a right royal spectacular.
The Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace has been transformed into an amazing fairground-style stage
in preparation for next month's Diamond Jubilee concert.
​

The incredible 360 degree stage, designed by Mark Fisher who has previously worked with U2 and The Rolling Stones, cost £200,000 and will host a raft of stars for the two-and-a-half hour show on Monday, June 4. Old favourites such as Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey will share the lime light with modern acts such as JLS and Jessie J in front of an audience of 10,000.

Gary Barlow, who has been put in charge of the acts, has given each artist a strict six minute slot. He is expected to take to the stage to perform a song accompanied by Prince Harry on Tambourine.

Speaking on the Graham Norton Show last week he said: 'The Queen is absolutely delighted with the whole line up.'
‘Only a couple of weeks ago I got the job of presenting the whole plan of the concert to her and I’d learnt everything about the gig, there’s not a question she can throw at me that I’m going to falter on.
‘I went 'Your Majesty, this is what the concert is going to look like, it's going to be incredible, this is where it's going to be in front of the palace'.
‘And she said, "So all that equipment, how long is that going to take to dismantle?"
'At this point I’m guessing, so I say "about six or seven hours," and she said, "so, the concert finishes at half ten at night, which means you will be doing that all night at the front of the palace where my family lives."'
'A little bead of sweat ran down and I was like, "So, moving on Your Majesty this is the Royal box, this is where you'll be sitting"'.
‘She said "How am I going to get there?".
‘It was something else I didn't know the answer to.

‘She is incredible for her age, very. very smart. She's excited about the whole weekend, she really is.’

The three hour extravaganza will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Radio 2 from 7.30pm.

 

[Lumutqueen]

^^^^^^^^^
I saw that on the news tonight, looks horrific!

 

[Warren]

The endlessly repetitive questions regarding a Diamond Jubilee tiara event and why there won't be one have been moved to the Protocol thread.

 

[Molly2101]

There are some more images of Sophie attending the event available from Isopix, a particular favourite of mine is the one of her curtseying to the Queen: Sophie and The Queen

One of Princess Alexandra looking ever so glamourous, as usual. Princess Alexandra

 

[Daria_S]

I do love Her Majesty's tendency to pay attention to the practicality of the whole thing. She certainly doesn't beat around the bush .

 

[EIIR]

Absolutely, Daria. HM is also very conscious of the fact that many BP staff members live there too and their sleep would be affected by this also. Reminds me that for years the tourism bosses in the UK asked the Queen to light up the Palace at night because in winter you couldn't really see it after about 4pm, which naturally disappointed some tourists. HM only agreed when she was assured that the special lighting wouldn't disturb staff whose bedrooms are at the front of the Palace.

On snother note, all this hot sunny weather is worrying me a bit. Let's hope that it stays this way until after the festivities. Sailing down the Thames in the wind and rain would not be pleasant.

The Union Jacks are back up in central London. This was also done during the Royal Wedding last year:

Britains Union Flags Are Hung Above The Streets Of Central

 

[Artemisia]

The streets look lovely!
Can't wait for June; the main Jubilee celebrations are going to be spectacular.

 

[Daria_S]

Her Majesty is also a very compassionate and considerate employer. I'd imagine that some in her position would be more concerned about pleasing the tourists, but she's showing that her loyalties are with those that serve her and require rest. Not surprising of course, but still, lovely to see/read. I too hope that the nice weather lasts for next weekend's festivities. I'd imagine singing (and sailing) in the rain is fun only in a theatrical production.

the Union Jacks are back up in central London.http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/n...e-the-streets-of-central-news-photo/145003903

More festiveness! Puts one in the mood for next weekend .

 

[IloveCP]

I wish I was in London this time of year! The streets look amazing!

 

[Artemisia]

A giant canvas is now displayed along the River Thames showing the Royal Family during the 1977 Silver Jubilee celebrations.
The photograph shows the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.
- The canvas as seen from across the river
- The canvas from Blackfriars Bridge
- Close up of the Royal Family
- The Queen and Prince Philip
- Gallery from Daylife

And some pictures of the street decorations:
- Regent Street
- Unilever House
- Covent Garden
- Piccadilly (where the Piccadilly Big Jubilee Street Party will take place)


I must say, that's all very impressive and nice.

 

[Artemisia]

You are welcome.

Counterfeit Queen: The latest in Chinese knock-offs sees mock monarch mobbed in Shanghai

A Queen lookalike was mobbed on the streets of Shanghai by thousands of Chinese fans who thought she was the real thing. The impersonator sparked a frenzy when she turned up for a surprise tea party designed to give China's biggest city a Diamond Jubilee celebration of its own. The stunt saw shoppers served afternoon tea complete with cakes and cucumber sandwiches, all to the sounds of a Beatles tribute band.

That's actually pretty hilarious. And a bit weird.

 

[LadyGabrielle]

That is pretty funny. I dont think she looks like the Queen but I suppose if you dont really know then it would be easy to think it was her.

 

[Artemisia]

And another double of Her Majesty, this time an "authorised" one.
I always wondered how they manage to organise all of the Queen's engagements so that they run smoothly, without a single issue. This answers some of the questions.


Elizabeth's second! The woman who's stood in for the Queen for 24 years

In 60 years, the Queen has never put a foot wrong in public. And for the last 24 of them, it turns out she’s had a secret weapon – the unassuming Ella Slack. The former BBC manager has, unbeknown to anyone except a handful of key advisers, spent the last quarter of a century acting as the Queen’s official stand-in at rehearsals for royal events. The 69-year-old from the Isle of Man has never accepted a penny for her loyal service, considering it ‘a pleasure and an honour’ to ensure that everything runs smoothly for the sovereign.

​

 

[lucien]

To those who've lost it on what's what and where during the central weekend,a week from today,here's a reminder:

http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/central-weekend

And this,Aunt Lillibeth in Sixty Years:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17843109