‘The Queen is so hard-working and loyal, she’s a grandmother to us all’
From far and wide, braving rain and travel chaos, early royal well-wishers flock to The Mall to claim best spot
‘Whatever problems the Royal family has had, she has faced them with compassion’
‘I can’t think of one US president I would want in charge for 70 years’
Nothing very much was happening on The Mall yesterday – not that you would have known it from the gathering crowds. Despite the Platinum Jubilee celebrations not getting under way until today, thousands were there within view of Buckingham Palace.
Many had decided to pitch their tents early, bagging a prime position so as to get a front-row seat at the biggest royal party in decades.
Others had just turned up for the day and were rewarded with the odd glimpse of troops from the Household Cavalry and mounted Metropolitan Police officers heading along The Mall.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” said Mary-jane Willows, 68, who had travelled from Penzance early on Tuesday and defied torrential rain to spend the night in a flimsy tent as close to Buckingham Palace as she could get.
Here, she met up with fellow royal fan Donna Werner, from Connecticut, USA, whom she first befriended outside Westminster Abbey in 2011, at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
“We both want to pay our respect to the Queen,” said Mrs Willows, a former charity chief executive. “Whatever problems the Royal family has had, she has faced them with both determination and compassion, and people trust her.”
Mrs Warner, 69, has crossed the Atlantic to be here. She admires the Queen’s longevity, sense of duty and determination to unite the country in times of crisis.
“You’re so lucky to have such a wonderful Queen,” she said. “She doesn’t divide people, she brings them together and she does it with grace.
“I can’t think of one US president who I would want in charge for 70 years.”
The pair will take it in turns to fetch snacks and takeaways to keep them going during their six-day vigil. They will not pack up until all the celebrations come to an end on Sunday.
The party will begin in earnest here today with The Queen’s Birthday Parade; Trooping the Colour and it will culminate in Sunday’s Jubilee Pageant.
One little boy could barely contain his excitement at seeing a troop from
‘Does everyone in England support the monarchy like this?’
‘Britain puts on a great show. This is like a golden ticket. I love the Queen’
the Household Cavalry trotting past in full ceremonial regalia.
“There’s horses on the road,” shouted Monty Browne, aged six, before explaining that he had learnt a full two verses of the National Anthem at school in time for the celebrations.
His mother, Jasmine, had brought Monty and his brother Henry, nine, down from Wells in Somerset, for the day ... to “witness history”.
“It’s probably the last chance my children will have to see an event like this held for the Queen and be able to say they were there,” said Ms Browne, 50, a secondary school teacher. “We’re close to the end of an era. The Queen has been such a huge part of our lives.”
Two Italian punks – regaled in the Sex Pistols’ ironic God Save The Queen iconography from 1977 – looked on in bemused wonder at such an outpouring of royal enthusiasm.
“We are surprised there are so many people before anything has started,” said Stefano Bolognini, 28, a musician from Brescia. “Does everyone in England support the monarchy like this? We have a President of the Republic who we can change regularly, so for us it’s quite amazing.”
Patricia Walters, a retired auxiliary nurse, was worried about what might come next.
“I’ve always loved the Queen, ever since I was young. She is fantastic. But I’ve struck half of the rest of the family off my list,” said the 79-year-old. “Charles shouldn’t be king, it should go to William, and Andrew is still there in the background, even though he should have his rights and privileges removed. The Royal family are meant to be spotless, but they’re not.”
Mrs Walters has spent a few days in London with her grandson Jack, 12, and her daughter Kelly Edwards, 45; taking in a few West End shows and stopping at Buckingham Palace before heading back to Swansea.
“It’s a great day to be here, even if the Jubilee celebrations haven’t started yet. Just to see the Changing of the Guard today is great and all these crowds make it even more fun,” said Mrs Edwards, a psychiatric nurse.
Behind her a giant amphitheatre was being completed in front of Buckingham Palace for Saturday’s BBC “Platinum Party at the Palace” concert.
Wrapped in a Canadian flag, Bernadette Christie, who had flown from Grande Prairie, Alberta, for a month-long holiday to coincide with the Jubilee, revelled in anticipation of the spectacle set to unfold.
“Britain puts on a great show. This is like a golden ticket,” she said. “I love the Queen. She is so hard-working and loyal. She is a grandmother to all of us.”