Ma’am’s the word for Jubilee revellers
Grandson close to stealing show at frail monarch’s 70-year celebration
As Queen Elizabeth II stepped gingerly on to the Buckingham Palace balcony, she drew wild cheers from the tens of thousands who came to join her at the start of four days of celebrations of her 70 years on the throne.
Her fans sported Union Jack flags, party hats or plastic tiaras. Some had camped overnight in hope of a glimpse of the 96-year-old queen, whose appearances are becoming rare, and a chance to watch the Trooping the Colour — a military parade that has marked each sovereign’s official birthday since 1760.
But it was her 4-year-old greatgrandson Prince Louis who stole the show.
The youngest child of the Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, secured himself a prime position on the balcony next to the Queen, known to him and his siblings Prince George, 8, and Princess Charlotte, 7, as “Gan Gan”.
Jumping up and down with excitement and covering his ears to protect against the noise, he was so pleased with his own waving that, according to a lip reader, he told the royals: “Look at me waving!”
As the Duchess explained that a formation had spelled out the number “70” in the sky, Prince Louis began to count on his fingers while the smiling Queen said: “That’s very clever, that must have taken a lot of practice.”
The royal family attended a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London overnight NZ time — but the monarch herself didn’t make an appearance.
“The Queen greatly enjoyed today’s birthday parade and fly-past but did experience some discomfort,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
A source told the Daily Telegraph while she had “immensely” enjoyed the first day of Jubilee celebrations, the Queen had experienced the episodic mobility issues she has suffered from recently.
Upcoming events include a concert at Buckingham Palace, and a pageant staged by thousands of performers drawn from schools and community groups around the United Kingdom.
However the Queen’s attendance is not guaranteed and the Palace had earlier said that the decision would be made on the day of each event.
But she took part in lighting a chain of ceremonial beacons at Windsor Castle as planned.
New Zealand was the second of 50 Commonwealth capital cities to light its beacon on Thursday night as part of the event.
The beacon was lit on the steps to the Tangi Te Keo Mt Victoria lookout, by mana whenua, former Governors-General Sir Anand Satyanand, Sir Jerry Mateparae and Wellington Mayor Andy Foster.
And yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was among attendees at a celebration service at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul to honour the monarch.
Meanwhile Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were expected at the thanksgiving service at St Paul’s in London, along with the monarch’s cousins, children and grandchildren.
Prince Andrew, who stepped away from public royal duties amid controversy over his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was also set to make a rare public appearance at the event.
However he pulled out after testing positive for Covid-19 during a routine test, Buckingham Palace said. It’s understood he has not seen the Queen since testing positive.
Much had been made of Prince Harry and Meghan’s return to the royal fold ahead of the Platinum Jubilee, with courtiers concerned that a “Sussex bomb” might be about to land on the four-day festivities.
Yet the low-profile nature of their presence at the Trooping the Colour showpiece event suggests the couple, who will be introducing the Queen to her namesake Lilibet for the first time as she turns 1 on Saturday, are adopting a family-first approach this weekend. The only glimpse was a peek of them playfully shushing Peter Phillips’ and Zara Tindall’s children through the large windows of the Major General’s Office, from where they watched festivities.
Meanwhile, the working royals who joined the Queen on the balcony included Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex and their children, and Prince William and Catherine, keeping the young Cambridge children front and centre.
Elizabeth, who became queen at 25, is Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and the first to reach the milestone of seven decades on the throne.