Queen Elizabeth II has twice appeared on the Buckingham balcony as part of the ‘Color Salute’ ceremony, an annual military parade that this year marked the start of four days of celebration in honor of her 70 de reign.
Dressed in a purple dress and leaning on a cane, the 96-year-old sovereign, accompanied by the Duke of Kent, was delighted by ten thousand people.
A British sovereignty never reigned until Elizabeth II, who ascended the throne at the age of 25 on February 6, 1952 on the death of her father, George VI. It is unlikely that another will achieve such longevity: Charles, the crown prince is 73 years old, his son William is about to turn 40 years old.
This may be the last time we see Her Majesty at a public event, we want to show our appreciationexplained to AFP Gilbert Falconer, 65, who came from Scotland like many others at dawn in front of Buckingham Palace, under the sun, for the parade launching the festivities on Thursday. Hard to change.
The extended four -day weekend, with parades and street parties to celebrate the infamous monarch, a symbol of stability in decades of turmoil for the country, brings rest and moments of communion to the British. after several years of heartache over Brexit and strict imprisonment due to COVID-19, now followed by historic inflation and the scandal of party gate.
I hope the next few days are an opportunity to reflect on all the achievements of the past 70 years, while looking to the future with confidence and enthusiasm.said in a written message of sovereignty, heads of state of 15 countries, from the United Kingdom to Canada via New Zealand.
Riding a horse, Prince Charles – son and prince of the Queen’s crown – received a birthday salute on behalf of his mother for the first time.
The monarch is scheduled to return to the balcony later, for a Royal Air Force flyover, this time accompanied by members of the royal family with official duties and their children.
Beside him, the family is limited to members with official duties and their children. Prince Harry and Meghan, who will attend the parade from another building for their first return together to the United Kingdom since their sensational departure to California in 2020, are also missing. Prince Andrew, who paid of millions of dollars to end a sexual assault complaint.
Confirmed only on Wednesday night by the palace, the appearances of Elizabeth II, which have become rare, are eagerly awaited. Her health has been worrying since a night in the hospital in October. He canceled almost all of his official appearances, replaced by Charles, including for the first time in May for the speech from the throne to Parliament.
Weakened since the death of her husband Philip last year, she has difficulty walking and relies on cane. He shows no willingness to back off, however, and made some surprise appearances recently, smiling and relaxing.
In this environment of the end of the rule, the monarchy has gone through several crises in recent years and faced growing criticism, especially in the former colonies, about slavery in the past of the British Empire. After Barbados last year, Jamaica indicated it wanted to cut the cord with the crown to become a republic.
In the United Kingdom, the queen remains valued by her constituents with 75% of favorable opinions according to the YouGov institute, but her heir Charles is less valued (50%). Young people are more divided than their elders in the monarchy, and, of all ages, only 39% of Britons think the institution will still exist for 100 years.
After the parade on Thursday morning, the Queen will take part in an evening ceremony with illuminations from Windsor Castle, on the outskirts of London, where she now resides.
On Friday, a mass will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London with the royal family. On Saturday, the Queen will miss the prestigious Epsom Derby, according to the press, despite her passion for these horse races.
A big concert, which the Queen is expected to watch on television, will follow at Buckingham Palace in the evening, with 22,000 people, and with headliners Alicia Keys, Queen and Adam Lambert and Diana Ross.
On Sunday, 10,000 people will march in central London. More importantly, millions of Britons will take part in thousands of neighborhood lunches and street parties, extraordinary moments of communion to pay tribute to a sovereignty that has crossed, undisturbed, times and crises.
Source: Radio-Canada
