Military and religious ceremonies, community gatherings and artistic creativity have fueled optimism
Tens of thousands of lunches shared by neighbors in decorated streets and a carnival procession around Buckingham Palace wrapped up the pivotal celebration of Elizabeth II’s platinum anniversary this Sunday. After two days devoted to the monarchy’s connection to the armed forces and to the Church, the second part of the acts has exposed Britain’s talent in the arts.
He has also shown a general taste for humor. The same queen took part in a few minutes of comedy on Saturday evening as an aperitif of the gala. He was visited in Windsor by Paddington Bear, a character from children’s literature who, after drinking all the tea, offers the monarch a piece of toast which he wears on his hat. But the queen already has hers, with jam, in her bag.
Music tastes vary, and critics’ opinions on the popular music of the Buckingham Palace ‘party’ are also mixed. But the staging, supported by the projection of images on the facade of the palace or in the night sky, contributed to an atmosphere of joy and wonder among the public that filled the guests’ seats and the wide avenue The Mall.
On a smaller scale, the neighbors hosted collective banquets on both Sunday and Saturday, closed their streets to traffic with council approval, and accompanied eating and drinking with a music band. Members of the royal family traveled to different parts of the country to participate in this fraternization of local communities.
“Pride, joy and happiness.” Those would be the hallmarks of the anniversary celebration, according to the words the Prince of Wales addressed to the public on Saturday at the party. They reflect the feelings of those who took part in the anniversary celebrations in central London, as well as those who took part in their place or saw them on their screens.
At the beginning of the celebration, Isabel’s perseverance was underlined, reminiscent of the speech she gave on her 21st birthday in Cape Town. It was written at the request of the king’s secretary by a journalist from ‘The Times’ who covered the visit of the royal family, and reading the draft made the future queen cry. “I declare for all of you,” he read, “that I will dedicate all my life, however long or short, to your service and to the service of our great Imperial family, to which we all belong.”
His life has been long and the promise has been fulfilled. The Queen’s advanced age and her stature as a historical figure arouse good feelings towards her. Dignitaries from around the world – Putin’s is still pending – congratulated him. There is no indication that Elizabeth II will break her promise and renounce. If Charles and Camilla had the ambition of Macbeth and his wife, then they have already had time to commit regicide.
The jubilee has once again demonstrated that the combination of an age-limited queen with limited mobility and a Prince of Wales who takes over from his mother in her official duties when necessary fulfills the roles of the monarchy. Only a mental incapacity could justify initiating the regency process, when it already partially exists informally.
The anniversary is an injection of optimism for the British people and the monarchy, although admiration is not the whole picture these days. The new Australian government has a minister for the republic, several Commonwealth countries want to sever their colonial ties. Carlos and Guillermo will have to promote the benefits of this association of countries, at a time of critical review of the role of the rich.
Although the leaders of Scottish independence – Nicola Sturgeon and her predecessor Alex Salmond – have proposed that an independent Scotland retain its ties to the monarchy, their supporters support the republic. The Jubilee events have had little impact in the north of the island. And the hustle and bustle around Buckingham is no bigger than those across the country who have been passive or took advantage of the anniversary to go on holiday.
But it’s very common these days to hear from Brits who are proud of it. For the beauty of the parades or the religious ceremony, for the celebration, for being together in the street. For having a 96-year-old queen who has reigned for over seventy. British politics is once again in turmoil on Monday, with speculation mounting that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be impeached.
The grand parade, the final event of the celebration, was led by a parade of British and Commonwealth military regiments, accompanied by musical bands. And for the Golden State Carriage, built more than two centuries ago for King George III. In the line of the parade, the appearance of cleaning trucks carrying the faeces of some two hundred horses was celebrated by a euphoric crowd.
Historic models of bicycles, motorcycles, cars, couples dancing to rhythms from different decades from the 50s to the coronation, dressed in the style of the time. The parade was interrupted by the presence of Olympic cyclists or boxing champions. The Eurovision star, Cliff Richard, sang from a double-decker bus ‘Congratulations’, his famous song in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1968. It was defeated by Spain’s Massiel with her ‘La, La, La .
Mods, rockers, punks, disco, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, Land Rover, Jaguar, roller skates, ice cream trucks, breakdancing, Abba, JCB bulldozers, Kate Moss, drag queens, children’s show dolls, rappers, hip-hop, costumes inspired by the traditions of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, all-female drum bands, dancing women in the Bollywood-inspired Indian parade. All that and more, without the threat of rain being fulfilled.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
