Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PARTY ANTHEM
BY SARAH ROBERTSON and PHIL CARDY at Buckingham Palace and HALINA WATTS
THE Queen had a rocking good party at the Palace last night as 100,000 royal fans clapped in unison... to the sound of Queen.
Guitarist Brian May was elevated on a platform in front of the Victoria Memorial monument as the Platinum Party got off to a flier.
Brian and his band – with Adam Lambert on vocals – opened with We Will Rock You.
The audience loved it, thousands packing The Mall roared – and Prince William and his son George, eight, lapped up the proceedings too.
Brian’s entrance echoed his 2002 Golden Jubilee performance when he played God Save The Queen on Buckingham Palace’s roof.
He said: “We were here 20 years ago for the Golden Jubilee and it’s great to be asked back.
“And we like to bring something special every time, so we’ll see if we can pull off something epic tonight. It’s all about the Queen and how amazing she’s been and how we want her to carry on.”
The official audience was 22,000, but they were dwarfed by the number on The Mall.
Millions watched live on the BBC – including the Queen, at home in Windsor Castle.
The event kicked off with a comedy classic starring the Queen herself.
She filmed a cute sketch with Paddington Bear visiting the Palace for a cup of tea and sharing a chat about marmalade sandwiches.
As the concert began, Her Majesty and Paddington tapped teaspoons in time with Queen’s foot-stomping anthem. When comedian Lee Mack took to the stage, Prince William was in stitches. Mack’s gags included a swipe at Boris Johnson’s government, saying: “We are here for the party of a lifetime. Finally we can say party and gates and it’s a positive.”
Star after star had the audience in raptures – including a yellow-jacketed Sir Rod Stewart, who had Prince William and the whole crowd singing alone to Sweet Caroline.
EMOTIONAL
Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder performed and there was a recorded contribution from Sir Elton John – and a finale from Diana Ross.
Former 007 star Daniel Craig – who famously filmed a special with the Queen for the 2012 Olympics – appeared emotional as he thanked Her Majesty in a video message.
Sir Paul McCartney paid tribute too, saying: “I love you like many other people.”
Former First Lady Michelle Obama added: “I feel deeply honoured to have spent time with
you over the years. Thank you Ma’am, for your remarkable example.”
Classical star Hans Zimmer – who spoke about the Queen’s piano playing – performed too and there were contributions from Sir David Attenborough, tennis player Emma Raducanu, soccer icon David Beckham and comedian and writer Stephen Fry.
Dance troupe Diversity performed, with Ashley Banjo delivering a spoken word performance praising the Queen against a backdrop covering great moments in British music – from The Beatles and Bowie to the Spice Girls, One Direction and Stormzy.
Composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber took to the stage with American composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and told the Queen: “Your reign has outrun any theatre show in history.”
The cast of Miranda’s hit show Hamilton performed, followed by routines from Webber’s Phantom Of The Opera, Lion King, Six – about the wives of Henry VIII – and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, featuring Jason Donovan.
Prince William and his father Charles paid tribute to the Queen, while other royals at the concert included the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, Earl and Countess of
Wessex, Prince Michael and Princess Michael of Kent and Zara and Mike Tindall. Earlier, during rehearsals, American superstar Alicia Keys took to her grand piano in front of the Victoria Memorial and belted out her hits in front of about 60 concert organisers. She fist-pumped the air in excitement and confidently predicted a rain-free concert.
And watched by Brian May, she changed the wording of her famous song New York to “London” in honour of the Jubilee.
The Queen would have approved.
Finally we can say party and gates and it’s positive LEE MACK GAG THAT HAD WILLS IN STITCHES