THE STREETS CAME ALIVE
Singing, celebrities, vintage cars and costumes – the jubilee street pageant was a celebration for the ages
LONDON heaved with the sights and sounds of the jubilee street pageant. The colourful spectacle began with a military parade, followed by the appearance of the Gold State Coach – the 260-year-old gilded carriage that transported the queen to her coronation 69 years ago.
A virtual version of Her Majesty, drawn from archival video from her 1953 coronation, was shown on the coach’s windows, much to the delight of the crowds.
After the pomp and pageantry came a host of acts, ranging from hip-hop and Bollywood dancers to drag queens and Mardi Gras-style floats. Around 6 000 performers paraded a route lined with a sea of Union Jack flags, telling the story of the queen’s life through dance, vintage cars, vibrant costumes, carnival music and giant puppets.
UK singer Ed Sheeran performed and celebrities such as British supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss were seen riding on double-decker buses.
Iconic actress Joan Collins was the picture of elegance as she led the Dames in Jags section of the pageant.
The 89-year-old actress, who later dubbed their procession “hags in Jags”, was the picture of elegance as she was joined by her husband, Percy Gibson (57), in a cream Jaguar.
Also taking part in the dames motorcade were ’60s fashion model Twiggy as well as South African-born chef and Great British Bake Off host Prue Leith, who’d both been honoured by the queen in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
Prue’s appearance in the motorcade was dramatically cut short when her vintage Jaguar broke down and she had to be pushed by four stewards before being quietly removed from the pageant. Oops!