We will rock you again Ma’am, says guitar hero May
Queen set to top the bill at outdoor spectacular
HIS sensational guitar performance of God Save The Queen on the roof of Buckingham Palace rocked the nation at the Golden Jubilee 20 years ago. Now Queen legend Brian May has suggested the band may top that spectacle when they perform at Platinum Jubilee celebrations next month. Queen will open the BBC’s Platinum Party At The Palace with American singer Adam Lambert on Saturday, June 4, which marks the monarch’s 70 years on the throne. May, 74, performed a memorable version of the National Anthem in 2002. He said: ‘Twenty years after playing the Queen’s glorious Golden Jubilee, we’re very happy to be invited again... There was a moment when I wondered “After the Buckingham Palace roof where can you go?” Well, you will see!’ The Platinum event – also at Buckingham Palace – will see US soul legend Diana Ross, 78, close the show in her first UK live performance in 15 years. The Baby Love singer said: ‘I have had the honour of meeting the Queen many times throughout my life, including when I was with my family. ‘Her Majesty has and continues to be such an incredible inspiration to so many across the world and I was absolutely delighted to receive an invitation to perform on such a momentous and historic occasion.’ The three-stage event will also include Duran Duran, George Ezra, Andrea Bocelli, Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers and Craig David. Other top names from sport and showbusiness will appear including Sir David Attenborough, tennis ace Emma Raducanu, football legend David Beckham, comedian Stephen Fry, actress Dame Julie Andrews and Paralympian swimmer Ellie Simmonds. The UK’s Eurovision hero Sam Ryder will perform live while Sir Elton John will record a contribution. Britain’s Got Talent dance stars Diversity will also be featured. The evening will highlight British and Commonwealth contributions to fashion, sport, the environment, pop and musicals. The musicals section will be curated by Evita creator Andrew Lloyd Webber and feature the casts of Phantom Of The Opera, Hamilton, Six, The Lion King and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Coverage will be led by TV hosts Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp, with 22,000 people attending. A total of 10,000 tickets have been allocated via a public ballot while 7,500 were set aside for key workers, members of the Armed Forces, volunteers and charity workers.
Charlotte Moore, of the BBC, said: ‘We are thrilled to be bringing the nation together for this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime event.’
Meanwhile, a collection of official souvenirs from the Royal Collection Trust have been released to mark the Jubilee.
They include biscuits in the shape of corgis, guardsmen, the gold state coach and Buckingham Palace. They come in keepsake tins with one containing 15 lemon-flavoured biscuits costing £58.
Other souvenirs include a £289 Buckingham Palace ziptop bag by British accessories brand Radley depicting its Scottie dog motif. A special edition English sparkling wine is £39 a bottle.
Proceeds from the souvenirs will be used for the upkeep of the Royal Collection – a treasure trove of paintings, furniture and antiques collected by monarchs over 500 years.
The official jubilee range is being sold online at www.rct. uk/shop and at outlets in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.