Britain’s biggest street party! 10,000 to mark Queen’s 90th birthday
BRITAIN will celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday this summer with Pimm’s and PG Tips at the biggest street party the country has seen.
The Patron’s Lunch is the highlight of a weekend of events paying tribute to the monarch’s life and achievements.
She is said to be ‘really excited’ about the party designed to celebrate her role as patron of more than 600 national and Commonwealth organisations.
The Queen will attend as guest of honour along with Prince Philip and grandsons William and Harry, who are joint presidents of the event, as well as other royals.
But there was concern last night after it emerged that charities which have the monarch as their patron are being charged £150 per person to join the official celebration in The Mall.
Although the vast majority of the 10,000 places are being ‘made available’ to organisations with close links to the Queen, they will be charged for the privilege. Around 1,000 tickets will be sold through a public ballot in early March.
Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, who is organising the event, insisted yesterday that the charge was necessary. He said that the street party is ‘not a cheap exercise’ and there is a shortfall between what is being provided by
‘Once-in-a-lifetime
celebration’
sponsors and the cost of staging the vast event. He also stressed that it is a not-for-profit event and any extra money raised would be distributed back to charity.
But questions were being asked about why organisations supported by the monarch should be asked to meet the cost of attending an official royal celebration of their role out of their own funds.
There are also fears the event could turn into a corporate jamboree after it was revealed those taking part are being allowed to auction off 40 per cent of their ticket allocation in order to cover the cost of their own staff attending.
That means a significant proportion of attendees may have simply ‘bought’ their way in and not have any affiliation with the charities the event is designed to promote.
One charity worker who asked not to be named described the charging policy as a ‘sting in the tail’, but added: ‘It’s [still] an incredible honour’.
Another said: ‘Many of the charities weren’t deeply excited [about the plans for a lunch]. I feel we are still waiting for the big sell. I think it’s not clear there will be any opportunities to promote our work and that is a disappointment.’
Help Musicians UK said it had paid for its ten tickets from a ‘budget set aside for that type of event’. And Lea Bennett, secretary of Islands Sailing Club, said 14 members had tickets. ‘The club is not footing the bill. Individual members are paying,’ she said.
David Anderson, the chief officer of the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, revealed that members would also pay personally for the 20 tickets they had been allocated. ‘I think at the end of the day it’s what you want to spend your money on isn’t it?’ he said. ‘I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary. If I wanted to go to a show in London I would be spending that sort of money.’
Ed Aspel, executive director of fundraising and marketing at Cancer Research UK, added: ‘We hope to invite fundraisers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly for Cancer Research UK, as a way of thanking them for their time and dedication.’
A spokesman for the Patron’s Lunch explained: ‘Organising an event of this magnitude in this location requires significant investment. The Patron’s Lunch is a notfor-profit event, and whilst we have generous support from our partners, it does not cover the full cost. This is a truly unique event – it is a once-in-a-lifetime, never-done-before celebration.
‘This ticket is a very special one that gives people the chance to be part of this huge street party to honour the lifetime of service of the Queen.’ The Queen turns 90 on April 21 but the weekend of official celebrations will not be held until the summer.
On Friday, June 10, there will be a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, followed by the annual Queen’s Birthday Parade on Horse Guards on the Saturday. The Patron’s Lunch will take place on Sunday, June 12.
The Mall will be transformed, with a thousand tables, each seating ten people. Guests will be treated to a wicker hamper lunch provided by Marks & Spencer and refreshments including Pimm’s, PG Tips tea and Wall’s Ice Cream. They can arrive from 10am, with the Queen and Prince Philip making an entrance in their open-top State Review Vehicle, a hybrid-powered Range Rover, at lunch-time.
There will be live ‘carnival style’ entertainment with a colourful procession of entertainers representing the Queen’s patronages.
The BBC will broadcast the event and giant screens will transmit the spectacle, as well as events celebrating the Queen’s birthday around the Commonwealth.
Buckingham Palace said: ‘Her Majesty is looking forward to attending and seeing representatives of her many patronages.’
A source added: ‘Planning and ticketing details are a matter for the event organisers.’
‘Significant investment’