The
Queen's Platinum Jubilee: The Royal Family's Six Greatest Moments
Prince
Louis stole the show in a parade and the queen had
tea with a cartoon bear. See the best moments
The
Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which marked
Elizabeth II's seven decades on the British
throne, ran from June 2 to 5. There were four busy
days of revelry and reflection to celebrate the
Queen, who became the longest-reigning British
monarch.
The
four-day UK holiday was marked by a military
parade, a special Thanksgiving celebration at St
Paul's Cathedral in London and a pop concert at
Buckingham Palace.
The
celebrations ended this Sunday (05/06) with a
parade and a carnival procession in London - in
addition to street parties across the country.
Check
out the six most memorable moments of the royal
family in the celebrations.
1-
Prince Louis stealing the show
The
festivities kicked off on Thursday with the
Trooping the Color parade - a British infantry
tradition that takes place every year - in honor
of the Queen's official birthday, bringing huge
crowds to Trafalgar Square and The Mall, in
London, under a strong sun.
While
crowds were delighted to see the 96-year-old
monarch on the balcony of Buckingham Palace,
Louis, the 4-year-old son of the Duke and Duchess
of Cambridge, was the real star of the show. As
British Royal Air Force (RAF) planes and
helicopters flew overhead in a special
performance, he covered his ears and appeared to
let out a scream.
Waving
to the crowd and grimacing, the prince amused the
crowd and made himself the center of attention. In
this Sunday's parade, Mike Tindall, son-in-law of
Princess Anne, kept an eye on Louis. But the young
prince still managed to charm the crowd by making
faces.
2
- The queen lighting a lighthouse
On
Thursday night, the Queen turned on a string of
lights that stretched from Windsor Castle to
Buckingham Palace, while thousands of lighthouses
were lit across the UK and other Commonwealth
countries.
The
main lighthouse - the Tree of Trees sculpture,
representing the millions of trees planted in the
Jubilee year - lit up the palace gardens.
Others
were lit at historic sites, on the UK's four
highest peaks and in all 54 capitals of the
Commonwealth. Historically, lighthouse trails were
used for long-distance communication - and today
they represent solidarity between locals.
3 - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their official appearance
Prince
Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have
not been seen together at a royal event since
moving to the US from the UK two years ago.
They
briefly appeared in the window of a building
overlooking Trooping the Color on Thursday, but
made an official appearance at a celebration
honoring the queen at St Paul's Cathedral.
The
royal couple have brought their two children with
them to London and are staying in a country house
on the Windsor Castle estate. This should be the
Queen's first chance to meet her
great-granddaughter Lilibet, who celebrated her
first birthday on Saturday (04/06).
The
queen did not attend the Thanksgiving celebration
after feeling "discomfort" during the
previous day's parade. She also canceled her visit
to the Epsom Derby, a horse race that this year is
part of the Jubilee celebrations.
4- The queen having tea with Paddington the bear
The
96-year-old monarch made a surprise appearance in
a video recorded and shown at the Platinum Party -
a pop concert that drew 22,000 fans outside
Buckingham Palace on Saturday night.
In
the skit, she meets up with the very famous
children's TV character Paddington in the UK for
tea. But the meeting spirals out of control after
the bear decides to drink straight from the teapot
and splashes cream on a footman's face. Paddington
tells the queen that he always carries a stash of
his favorite treat with him: a marmalade sandwich.
Smiling, the queen replies "me too",
before pulling her own sandwich out of her bag.
In
a touching moment, the bear looks the monarch in
the eye and says, "Happy Jubilee, ma'am. And
thank you. For everything."
5
- Prince Charles's Thanks to "Mom"
Later
at the Platinum Party, Prince Charles paid a
personal tribute to his mother and thanked her on
behalf of the entire world. Alongside his wife,
the Duchess of Cornwall, he began: "Your
Majesty Mama," drawing cheers from the crowd
of 22,000."
"You
laugh and cry with us, and most importantly, you've
been here for us for 70 years," he said. The
star-studded event featured performances by the band
Queen, Duran Duran and Diana Ross, and averaged over
11 million viewers in the UK.
6
- The Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
for the closing of the Jubilee
After
a spectacular parade through central London, with
military personnel, celebrities and thousands of
volunteers, the Royal Standard of the United
Kingdom was raised above Buckingham Palace,
indicating that the Queen was there. Shortly
after, she appeared on the porch.
She
was accompanied by her son Prince Charles, his
wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and her
grandson Prince William, his wife Catherine, the
Duchess of Cambridge, and their three children.
There
were doubts whether the monarch would attend, due
to concerns for her health. In the end, it was a
brief apparition - she smiled and waved before
heading back inside - but it was met with loud
cheers from the crowd.
