Flags and cheers for a royal gem
LONDON: Queen Elizabeth was greeted by cheering crowds as she made her first appearance of her diamond jubilee four-day-long weekend of celebrations at Epsom racecourse yesterday.
Wearing a regal royal blue coat with matching hat over a white floral dress, she smiled and waved as hundreds of thousands of race-goers with flags shouted messages of support from the course sidelines covered in bunting.
The queen and Prince Philip were joined by a large party which included the Duke of York and his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and the monarch’s racing manager John Warren.
Her arrival marks the start of a four-day bank holiday weekend celebration of her 60 years on the throne as she is a passionate horse breeder and racer.
The queen visits Epsom Downs Racecourse every year to watch some of the world’s best thoroughbreds compete in the Derby. Around 130 000 spectators were eagerly awaiting her arrival at the racecourse which sold out all its main stands.
The queen took her place in the royal box for an afternoon of watching the races – but she did not bet a penny because she does not gamble.
Unlike last year’s race, the queen does not have a horse entered in the Derby or the other six featured races. But she will be presenting the winning prizes in the renamed Diamond Jubilee Coronation Cup.
The royals were also treated to an aerial display by the British Army Red Devils parachute team before the main event at Epsom – the racing.
The men from the Parachute Regiment made pin-point landings close to the finishing line and one soldier even carried a huge Union Jack flag.
Welsh singing star Katherine Jenkins performed the national anthem shortly after the queen’s arrival.
Jenkins – who recently competed on Dancing With The Stars – said she was having an “amazing” day.
She said: “For me it’s such a huge honour. It’s the first time that the national anthem has been sung during these celebrations and I would never have hesitated. I would have sung to her in the rain.”
The diamond jubilee festivities officially began yesterday with a 41-gun salute fired by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at Horse Guards Parade in central London which coincided with gun salutes fired from official saluting points around the UK.
The coronation gun salute is normally fired from Green Park, but Horse Guards Parade was used as part of a series of public events in the royal parks to mark the diamond jubilee.
The unit will return to Horse Guards Parade on Tuesday, when they will fire a 60-round royal salute as the “heart beat” to the diamond jubilee procession.
The extended bank holiday weekend will also feature a majestic pageant on the River Thames today
A St Paul’s Cathedral service of thanksgiving is the highlight of Tuesday’s festivities which will end with the queen standing on Buckingham Palace’s balcony greeting the tens of thousands expected to fill The Mall.
Prime Minister David Cameron, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and other senior royals will join prominent individuals from the UK and abroad at many of the events.