The queen’s big birthday bash .
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth was the belle of her colourful three-day birthday bash
IT WAS always going to be quite a year for the queen. Ninety years old is a major milestone – and the fact that Queen Elizabeth is still showing no sign of reining in her reign after 63 years on the throne is further cause for admiration. Her Majesty did, of course, turn 90 on 21 April and plenty of pomp and ceremony hailed the big day (YOU, 5 May). But the main celebrations were always planned for June when the weather would be good – or as good as the notorious British weather could be anyway.
The first two days’ events took place under relatively balmy skies, with a national service of thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral in London followed by the Trooping the Colour ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
The mercury reached 23 °C on the second day – and even caused a poor member of the national guard to faint on the parade ground when things got a little steamy under his bearskin hat.
But by Sunday the heavens opened, drenching 10 000 people who’d gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London for the Patron’s Lunch. And they couldn’t even take umbrellas with them – they’d been banned for security reasons along with large cameras and selfie sticks.
Instead guests were handed plastic ponchos to keep them dry as they tucked into their lunch hampers before being
treated to a walkabout by members of the royal family – William, Kate and Harry among them.
One woman apologised to Prince William (34) for looking so bedraggled and having wet hair. To which William responded, “It looks lovely. You have more hair than I have.”
The weekend also marked the birthday of the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, who turned 95 on 10 June. The pair will have been married for 69 years in November and are clearly just like any old married couple.
The queen was anxious that they were running late for their drive down The Mall before the Patron’s Lunch. The monarch, who abhors tardiness, was already irked that a traffic accident had made her late for Friday’s church service, and a palace insider reveals she ordered Philip to tell the driver of the opentopped state vehicle in which they were riding to get a move on.
“Go on, ask him [to hurry up],” she instructed her husband.
“What’s the matter, what’s wrong?” came his somewhat confused reply.
“He’s so slow,” she grumbled. “He won’t do anything. Go on, ask!”
And so her husband obeyed, banging on the roof of the car above the driver’s head. A highly amused William later relayed the exchange to his wife. “Did you hear what happened? He told him to hurry up, to go faster!”
THE queen famously hates a fuss being made of her and always considers her subjects. “Why should they be made to wait any longer than they have to in order to see her and her family – that’s her motto, basically,” another royal insider says.
Queen Elizabeth always makes sure she’s dressed in bright colours so she can be spotted at a distance. “My favourite
remark she ever made was, ‘I can never wear beige because nobody will know who I am’,” Robert Hardman, the queen’s biographer, said on BBC radio.
Her daughter-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex (51) – wife of the queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward (52) – said pretty much the same thing in The Queen At 90 documentary. “She needs to stand out for people to be able to say, ‘I saw the queen’. Don’t forget, when she turns up somewhere the crowds are two, three, four, 10, 15 deep and people want to say they saw a bit of the queen’s hat as she went past.”
There was plenty of opportunity for monarch spotting during the latest celebrations – and not a hint of beige in sight. For Trooping the Colour, Her Majesty wore a vibrant green coat and dress by Stewart Parvin and hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, which made her instantly recognisable to the huge crowd of well-wishers. A matching green umbrella and pink flowers in her hat made her stand out all the more.
For the Patron’s Lunch she went for a Karl Ludwig Couture coat in deep cerise, with a floral silk dress and matching hat by Angela Kelly, one of her favourite designers.
The queen seemed amused to spot her daughter, Princess Anne (65), in the crowd as she drove past. “Oh, you’re still here,” she told her.
The queen was on top form all weekend. After a speech thanking the public for all their support and encouragement, she quipped dryly, “How I’ll feel if people are still singing happy birthday in December remains to be seen.”
Also on top form were the tiniest royals, Prince George (2) and Princess Charlotte (13 months). George especially loved the flypast after the Trooping the Colour ceremony, his mom, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, told well-wishers on her walkabout the next day.
“I’ve never seen him so excited,” the 34-year-old said. “He was absolutely thrilled and his little face lit up.”
He wasn’t that thrilled with Sunday’s weather though, she added. “He opened
the door this morning and said, ‘It’s not very nice out today, Mummy, is it?’”
As for little Charlotte, she melted hearts on her debut outing on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony. Safely held in her glamorous mother’s arms, she waved to the crowds as befits a pint-size princess – and seemed to cover her ears during the flypast.
Kate and Prince Harry (31) appeared to enjoy the festivities immensely and could often be seen whispering and giggling. “They’ve always been great pals,” a family insider says. “Kate, William and Harry have a really close bond.”
William, as second in line to the British throne, was tasked with saying a few official words about his grandmother as he introduced her to the stage during the Patron’s Lunch.
“Granny, thank you for everything you’ve done for the family,” he said. “We couldn’t wish you a happier birthday.” SOURCES: DAILY MAIL, THE TELEGRAPH, HELLO! IBTIMES