Britain is partying for Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee
LONDON — It’s been billed as the party of all parties, a star-studded four-day celebration of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch for her 96th birthday and 70 years on the throne.
But the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, which has snarled traffic around Buckingham Palace, given Britons an extra-long weekend and will offer up performances by American, Irish and British stars — Diana Ross and Alicia Keys among them — has also underlined the question of what happens next for a monarchy seemingly inseparable from its aging head.
As wall-to-wall live coverage began Thursday of the Platinum Jubilee — the only one in a royal lineage that stretches back more than 1,200 years — speculation about the monarchy’s future is as rife as the excitement over the military parade, street parties, outdoor concert, service at St. Paul’s Cathedral and other events scheduled through Sunday.
The queen emerged on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony Thursday to watch a flyover tribute and to wave at the cheering crowds thronged outside the gates and along the Mall leading to the royal residence. But her brief presence alongside other members of the royal family served only to underscore how rare and unpredictable such public appearances have become as Elizabeth battles increasing infirmity.
“The new normal, if you’d like, is that you don’t know if she’s going to turn up,” said Chris Ship, the royal editor of the ITV network and a host of its live coverage.
The elaborate Trooping the Color — a military horseback parade — that kicked off the festivities offered a case in point: The queen has almost never missed the annual event, but on Thursday, she was represented by her eldest son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles. Late Thursday, Buckingham Palace said the queen would skip a Friday church service because she had experienced “discomfort.”
Elizabeth, who was born April 21, 1926, but whose birthday is marked nationally on the second Saturday of June, broke the former record reign for a British monarch — set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria — in 2015. She was crowned in the aftermath of World War II, outlived nine prime ministers and saw the Iron Curtain rise and fall before witnessing Britain’s exit from the European Union.