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| Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Queen | ||||
| The extraordinary public and private life of the world’s most famous monarch In honor of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee—60 years on the throne—TASCHEN celebrates the extraordinary private and public life of Her Majesty. Born in 1926, married in 1947, crowned as Queen in 1953, for over six decades she has steadfastly and loyally carried out her duty on behalf of her country, never speaking out of turn or putting a foot wrong. The book tells her remarkable royal story through hundreds of stunning photographs, many previously unseen and sourced from multiple archives in the United Kingdom (including the Royal Collection), Continental Europe, and the United States. These images have it all: history, politics, glamour, fashion, culture, travel, and, of course, hats.  The Derby, a famous horse race held on Epsom Downs in Surrey, near London, has always been a regular annual fixture in the Queen’s diary. She is seen here walking to the paddock on 4 June 1954. © Hulton Archive/Getty Images As the Queen, she has endlessly traveled the globe, been introduced to every leading icon of the 20th century, including the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, and JFK, attended thousands of receptions and state functions; while concurrently being a mother to four children under the constant glare of public scrutiny. These photographs cover every aspect of her reign: the early years, coming of age during World War II, becoming a wife, Queen and mother, the Royal Tours, the palaces, the crowds, the weddings, the Royal Family, the Silver Jubilee in 1977, and the later years. God save her indeed! Photographers included: Cecil Beaton, Studio Lisa, Dorothy Wilding, Karsh, Lord Snowdon, Patrick Lichfield, as well as more contemporary work from the likes of Wolfgang Tillmans, Rankin, Annie Leibovitz, and many others. | ||||
Diamond Jubilee: Queen 'humbled' by celebrations
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Queen Elizabeth II: ''It has touched me deeply to
see so many thousands of families, neighbours and friends celebrating
together''
The
Queen has called her Diamond Jubilee "a humbling experience", saying
she had been "touched deeply" by seeing so many people celebrating
together.
In a message to the nation, she thanked all those who organised the events.Festivities culminated in an appearance by the senior royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony in front of huge crowds to watch an RAF flypast.
But the Queen's consort, Prince Philip, was absent from her side as he remains in hospital with a bladder infection.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex visited the Duke of Edinburgh on Tuesday afternoon.
Afterwards, Prince Edward said: "He's feeling better." The countess added: "He's in good spirits; he's on good form."
'Happy atmosphere' The Queen's message was broadcast on television and radio across the UK and Commonwealth.
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“Start Quote
As one who knows the Queen put it to me once - you don't want a monarch who fizzes like a Catherine wheel ”
"The events that I have attended
to mark my Diamond Jubilee have been a humbling experience," she said.
"It has touched me deeply to see so many thousands of families,
neighbours and friends celebrating together in such a happy atmosphere.
"But Prince Philip and I want to take this opportunity to
offer our special thanks and appreciation to all those who have had a
hand in organising these Jubilee celebrations. "It has been a massive challenge, and I am sure that everyone who has enjoyed these festive occasions realises how much work has been involved."
She added: "I hope that memories of all this year's happy events will brighten our lives for many years to come.
"I will continue to treasure and draw inspiration from the countless kindnesses shown to me in this country and throughout the Commonwealth. Thank you all."
Earlier on Tuesday, the Queen attended a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral where Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams paid tribute to her "lifelong dedication".
"I don't think it's at all fanciful to say that, in all her public engagements, our Queen has shown a quality of joy in the happiness of others," he said.
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After Monday's party, today was a more sedate tribute to the Queen.
The Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral was a celebration of 60 years of loyal service and commitment.
In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of the Queen's "years of utterly demanding yet deeply joyful service". His words are a reflection of the mood throughout the Jubilee celebrations.
Thousands again descended on central London for the ceremonial part of the weekend's festivities - especially the Royal Family's appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
I have spoken to many people over the past few days about how they view the Queen. Some have been royalists, some far from it. But nearly all have held the Queen in high regard.
The days events have been marked though by the absence of the Duke of Edinburgh. For 60 years he has been at the Queen's side at almost every ceremonial occasion. Today she has been without him.
'Tireless leader'
Analysis
The Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral was a celebration of 60 years of loyal service and commitment.
In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of the Queen's "years of utterly demanding yet deeply joyful service". His words are a reflection of the mood throughout the Jubilee celebrations.
Thousands again descended on central London for the ceremonial part of the weekend's festivities - especially the Royal Family's appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
I have spoken to many people over the past few days about how they view the Queen. Some have been royalists, some far from it. But nearly all have held the Queen in high regard.
The days events have been marked though by the absence of the Duke of Edinburgh. For 60 years he has been at the Queen's side at almost every ceremonial occasion. Today she has been without him.
David Cameron, who gave a reading at the service, called her "a real inspiration".
"We have seen the country come together with a sense of
celebration and unity but also tremendous resilience, resilience from
people who want to celebrate despite the weather and resilience, of
course, from Her Majesty - nothing stops her doing the job she does,"
the prime minister said. US President Barack Obama was among those who paid tribute to her "60 extraordinary years".
In a specially recorded message he called the Queen "a steadfast ally, loyal friend and tireless leader" and said she had been "the chief source of resilience" for the unique alliance between his country and the UK throughout her reign.
In other Jubilee events on Tuesday:
- Crowds gathered from early morning to cheer the Queen on her journey from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's
- The congregation at the cathedral included a large representation from the government, military personnel and members of the royal household, alongside diplomats and foreign leaders
- After the service, the Queen attended a reception at nearby Mansion House - the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London
- The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were at a similar event at the Guildhall
- All of the senior royals then enjoyed a lunch at Westminster Hall before embarking on a carriage procession through packed streets back to the palace
- The day ended in an appearance by the senior royals on the palace balcony to watch a flypast by World War II aircraft and the Red arrows
But to the delight of the tens of thousands gathered on The Mall - who had surged forward to get as close to Buckingham Palace as possible - it went ahead as planned.
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Queen's procession in open-top carriage procession
Diamond Jubilee: Pop royalty to play for Queen
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee will be marked with a star-studded concert in front of Buckingham Palace later.
Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Sir Elton John are among the artists, and Madness will perform on the roof. The audience will comprise of people who got tickets in a public ballot and those from charities with royal links.
At the end of the show, the Queen will light one of the last of around 4,500 beacons across the globe - in celebration of her 60-year reign.
In the afternoon, prior to the Jubilee concert, 10,000 ballot winners and VIPs will enjoy a picnic in the gardens of Buckingham Palace created by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and royal chef Mark Flanagan.
Individual hampers handed out to each of the guests will contain tea-smoked Scottish salmon, chilled garden soup, a coronation chicken-inspired dish, and strawberry crumble made from fruit grown on the Queen's Sandringham estate.
There will also be cupcakes created by Fiona Cairns, who baked the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding cake, and cheese and biscuits.
The hampers will arrive at Buckingham Palace at about 10:30 BST in a convoy of eight lorries after being assembled in Leicester overnight.
A union jack flag and plastic poncho, in case of rain, will also be included - but the forecast is for drier weather.
The concert follows Sunday's spectacular River Thames pageant which attracted hundreds of thousands of rain-soaked people to watch the flotilla of 1,000 vessels.
After a pageant on the Thames - where the elements weren't kind but the enthusiasm of the spectators was undimmed - a change of scene and tempo.
At the end of the Golden Jubilee concert, Sir Paul McCartney asked the Queen, "Are we doing this next year?" "Not in my garden" came the regal reply.
Ten years on, she's had her way. The concert will be staged outside the palace gates. The official guests will reflect the changes in a decade. Camilla Parker Bowles is now the Duchess of Cornwall and a future queen. Rupert Murdoch was invited last time. Will any newspaper proprietors be invited this time?
At the end of the concert, the Queen - who at 86, probably won't sit through all of the performances and who may well come armed with ear plugs as she did in 2002 - will light one of the last of more than 4,500 beacons around the world.
The Queen travelled in a barge alongside senior members of the Royal Family as street parties were held around the country.
Buckingham Palace has told the BBC the Royal Family were "touched" at the turnout, despite the weather.The A-list concert, which starts at 19:30 BST (18:30 GMT) and will be broadcast by the BBC, also includes Robbie Williams, Ed Sheeran, JLS, Kylie Minogue, Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J, Dame Shirley Bassey and Annie Lennox.
And it will feature a special song - sung by 200 people from around the Commonwealth - co-written for the occasion by Gary Barlow and Lord Lloyd Webber.
Motown legend Wonder has said: "It's an honour to celebrate The Queen. It's an honour to celebrate Great Britain. The time is overdue that I meet Her Majesty."
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will join the Queen at the concert.
An artist's impression of the stage, designed by architect Mark Fisher
After the musical tribute, the Queen will greet the crowds and set the national beacon ablaze.
At 22:30 BST (21:30 GMT), she is scheduled to place a crystal glass diamond into a special pod, triggering the lighting of the last beacon in The Mall.
Beacons will be lit throughout the evening in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, the Commonwealth and other overseas territories.
Bruno Peek, pageantmaster of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee beacons, said: "We set out to have 2,012 beacons, which would have been the most ever for this type of occasion.
"To have reached double that figure reflects the national and worldwide respect and affection for the Queen and the desire to celebrate her 60-year reign."
The network of beacons across the UK will be placed on historic landmarks, hill-top vantage points and famous mountains.
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Diamond Jubilee beacons
- About 4,500 beacons will be lit in the UK, Commonwealth and overseas territories
- Beacons in the UK and British dependencies will be lit in stages between 22:00 and 22:30 BST
- The Queen will light the National Beacon near Buckingham Palace at 22:30 BST
- Overseas beacons will be lit at 22:00 local time in countries including Canada, Australia and Kenya
- Two types of Beacons are used: Bonfires and the church tower beacon fuelled by bottled gas
- Beacons were lit on Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and for 1977's Silver Jubilee
Beacons will also be placed on
the battlements of the Tower of London, and at St James's Palace,
Lambeth Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham, Balmoral and Holyroodhouse.
Sixty will be lit in sequence on Hadrian's Wall - one for each year of the Monarch's reign.And the highest peaks of the UK's four nations will be lit up by teams from four charities.
Help for Heroes will conquer Ben Nevis in Scotland, Walking With The Wounded will climb Snowdon in Wales, Cancer Research UK will scale England's Scafell Pike and in Northern Ireland, Field of Life will go up Slieve Donard in County Down.
The hotel in Kenya where the Queen was told in 1952 of her father George VI's death - which meant she would become the monarch - will also light a beacon.
The first of the beacons will be lit on the south Pacific island of Tonga, while Tristan da Cunha, a British territory in the South Atlantic, is the location for the most remote lighting.
Like the conclusion of the Thames pageant, the evening will end with a firework display.
- The Diamond Jubilee Concert will be shown on BBC big screens in 22 towns and cities throughout the UK. Find your nearest screening here.
- It will also be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer for viewers in the UK
昨天，英國以其獨有的方式慶祝了英國一個獨特的慶典。雖然已進入6月，但昨日下午的天氣糟糕得有點怪異，不過，成千上萬民眾離開家裡舒適的環境，來到倫敦泰晤士河邊，一睹女王乘坐皇家遊艇通過的盛大場面。
他們冒著陰冷，被大雨淋得濕透，卻並不知道究竟發生了什麼，留在家裡的英國人反而能夠通過鋪天蓋地的電視轉播收看實況。然而，他們親臨現場，成為慶典的一部分，能夠表明他們對女王在位60年的認同。正如一位冒著傾盆大雨趕路的女士所說，“我們這輩子都沒法再經歷這樣的場合了。”
“千船水上巡遊”的盛大場面是女王登基60週年周末慶典的主要節目。如果是在一周前的尋常春季假日（5月最後一個週末——譯者註）舉辦，可能會有人中暑，但昨天則更有可能出現體溫過低。
整個船隊由一個浮動鐘樓帶領，後面跟著一個看似由苦力拉動的鍍金遊艇，儘管奧運槳手雷史蒂夫·德格雷夫爵士(Sir Steve Redgrave)也在上面。
周圍的人都在猜測女王將出現在下一艘船上。最終，一艘帶有鍍金船首的遊艇朝向滑鐵盧橋(Waterloo Bridge)駛來：當天的皇家遊艇The Spirit of Chartwell。英國正在實施緊縮政策，因而這隻船也是藉來的，但它如同一曲金色和紅色交相輝映的交響樂，上面還有過分的花飾，呈現出賭場風格的光鮮。
人們從稍早前的電視報導中看到，蒸汽機車“伊麗莎白號”(Queen Elizabeth)款款通過巴特西鐵路橋，鳴響汽笛向女王致意，而女王喜悅地揮著手。沒有什麼能夠比這更有效地激起人們對1952年的回憶了，女王看上去與眾人一樣高興。
到達滑鐵盧橋的時候，女王巡遊路程幾乎過半。她站在一個天蓬下，迎著冷風，緩慢地揮著手，已經86歲高齡的她看上去似乎有些疲憊。
登基之初，女王也許掌控著1000艘軍艦，因此1000艘船根本不算什麼。出於對尷尬的擔心，此次慶典沒有安排讓皇家海軍(Royal Navy)接受女王檢閱：那樣的儀式可能只持續五分鐘。
些許勝利者心態還是能夠看出來的，儘管自嘲式的謙虛掩蓋了這點。大多數船都是划艇，或者級別稍高一點，包括1940年參與營救被圍困在敦刻爾克(Dunkirk)的英軍官兵的一些小船。整體效果就像是對莫斯科五一閱兵的模仿。
然而，人們還是激動無比，而且情緒與去年威廉王子婚禮時不同。那一次，來到街上觀看的主要是30歲以下的人群，給人的感覺是派對本身比它的“由頭”更重要。
英格蘭心臟地帶很多中年的中產階級人士，搭乘歷來服務極差的周日早班列車，從各個郡趕來倫敦，這些列車服務還趕不上1952年時的水平。
一些報導顯示，利物浦(Liverpool)和赫爾(Hull)有部分地區的人對慶典無動於衷。據說，低調的倫敦南部要比世故的倫敦北部更有激情。
然而，不管地區差異和天氣狀況如何，毋庸置疑的是英國整體的高昂情緒。大街上旗幟飄揚，還有米字旗服裝、裹腿、帽子、披肩、圍巾、各種髮型等等。這是能見度最高的表述形式，表明舉國上下對英國堅韌不拔的君主（多數英國人只認識現任君主）的溫暖和感激之情。
Middle Britain braves the weather
A uniquely British occasion
was marked in a uniquely British way yesterday. On a peculiarly
wretched June afternoon, uncountable thousands of people left the
comfort of their homes to stand by the banks of the Thames in London to
catch a momentary glimpse of the Queen as she passed by on the royal
barge.
They got cold, they got drenched, they had barely a clue what was
happening – unlike everyone else in the country who had saturation
television coverage. But they were there, they were part of it, they
were able to show their appreciation for the Queen’s 60 years on the
throne. And, as one woman said as she hurried away through the downpour:
“We won’t see that again in our lifetimes.”The thousand-boat river pageant was the centrepiece of a weekend of celebrations for the Queen’s diamond jubilee. Had it taken place a week earlier – the normal spring bank holiday date – people would have suffered sunstroke. Hypothermia was more likely yesterday.
The armada was led by a floating belfry followed by a gilded rowbarge powered by what looked like galley slaves, though they included the Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave.
People around me kept thinking the next boat would contain the Queen. Eventually, a river cruiser with a gilded bow headed towards our perch on Waterloo Bridge: the Spirit of Chartwell, royal barge for the day. This being Austerity Britain, it was just a borrowed river cruiser, but it was a symphony in gold and red plush complete with over-the-top floral decorations, the epitome of casino chic.
Earlier reports from those with access to television suggested a delighted Queen waving enthusiastically, seen off by the steam locomotive Queen Elizabeth, which whistled evocatively as it passed over Battersea railway bridge. Nothing can evoke 1952 quite as effectively as that, and Her Majesty seemed as delighted as everyone else.
By Waterloo Bridge, about half way through her route, she was standing under a canopy with the cold wind in her face, waggling her hand a little wanly and looking understandably – aged 86 – a touch ragged.
At the start of her reign, the Queen might have commanded 1,000 warships – never mind 1,000 boats. This jubilee could not be marked by an inspection of the Royal Navy, for fear of embarrassment: it would have taken five minutes.
There was still an undoubted hint of triumphalism – but it was overwhelmed by the ironic self-deprecation. Most of the vessels were rowing boats, or one step up, including some of the small craft that took part in the rescue of beleaguered forces from Dunkirk in 1940. The overall effect was that of a Moscow May Day parade done as pastiche.
The enthusiasm of the crowd was overwhelming, however, and this event had a very different mood to Prince William’s wedding last year. Then, the crowds on the street were mainly under-30s and one sensed that the party was more important than the excuse for it.
This time, the middle-aged and middle-class of Middle England poured in from the shires off the traditionally diabolical Sunday morning trains, now even worse than in 1952. A few people had even camped overnight.
There were reports of pockets of indifference in Liverpool and Hull. Downbeat south London was said to be far more excited than sophisticated north London.
But whatever the regional variations and whatever the weather, there can be no mistaking Britain’s overall mood. The streets were full of flags – and of union jack dresses, leggings, hats, capes, scarves, hairstyles, whatever. And this is just the most visible expression of a wave of national warmth and gratitude to Britain’s indomitable sovereign – the only one most of the population have ever known.
〔駐歐洲特派記者胡蕙寧／倫敦二日報導〕英國二日展開慶祝女王伊莉莎白二世登基六十週年的活動，一連四天的假期中，全英國各地大小慶典不斷，據報英國各地已經收到八千多份民眾的封街辦趴申請，本週末將有六百萬人在英國各處以女王之名同歡。
二日是伊利莎白二世女王登基滿六十年的「鑽禧年」，在英國史上僅有兩位君主有此紀錄，上一位是一八九七年的維多利亞女王。
二日女王身著一席典雅藍色套裝，出席英國重要賽馬會之一的愛普森賽馬會，開啟本週末的慶祝活動。愛普森賽馬會向來是權貴社交場合，往年約吸引十四萬觀眾，今年預計會有二十多萬民眾前往參加。
三 日慶祝活動的高潮是女王率領一千艘各式船隻遊覽泰晤士河，屆時估計會有上百萬群眾在河邊觀賞，尤其吸睛的是陪伴女王的威廉王子與其妻子劍橋公爵夫人凱特。 主辦單位說，這場遊河的設計是想重現英國三百年前的海運盛況。目前河邊已經滿布紅、藍、白的英國國旗色彩，另外將會搭配煙火與音樂，而光是現場伴奏的樂隊 就用了十艘輪船來運載。
四日的慶典是白金漢宮音樂晚會，出席者包括艾爾頓強爵士等全球知名音樂家，晚上十點開始更有四千多座烽火在世界各地分別點燃共慶。
五日女王將前往皇家禮拜堂聖保羅大教堂，在西敏寺與七百名貴賓午宴後，下午是在白金漢宮陽台與民眾會面以及侍衛隊表演。
伊莉莎白二世自一九五二年二十五歲時登基至今，已經創下英國在位次久君主的紀錄，僅次於在位六十三年又七個月的維多利亞女王，英國賭盤已經醞釀開賭女王能否贏得在位最久君主的紀錄。
女王在位期間，全球僅有三位君主曾經慶祝登基六十年，一是泰王蒲美蓬（二○○六年），二是已故的日本裕仁天皇（一九八六年），三是馬來西亞的前柔佛州蘇丹（一九五五年）。
英國國會議員已經提議將倫敦最著名地標大鵬鐘改名為「伊莉莎白塔」，並獲得包括首相卡麥隆在內的三百多位議員簽名支持，預計下議院六月底開會時，將同意大鵬鐘改名。英國國會旁的大鵬鐘原名「國王塔」，一八六○年曾為了慶祝維多利亞女王的長期統治改名為「維多利亞塔」。
Diamond Jubilee: Queen starts celebrations at Derby
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to travel to London to take part in the Jubilee celebrations
The Queen is to attend the Epsom Derby later, launching a four-day weekend of events for her Diamond Jubilee.
The Queen is due to be driven down the course in an open-top
car, there will be a Red Arrows display and Katherine Jenkins will sing
the National Anthem.The weekend's main celebrations include the Thames pageant involving 1,000 boats on Sunday, and Monday's concert in front of Buckingham Palace.
There will be events UK-wide to mark 60 years since the Queen's accession.
On the final day of the weekend, the Queen will attend a national service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, before thousands of well-wishers are expected to line the route of a formal carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace.
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Saturday
Diamond Jubilee: Key events
The main weekend events to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee include:Saturday
- The Queen attends the Epsom Derby
- Katherine Jenkins sings the National Anthem and a Red Arrows display takes place
- The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant - featuring 1,000 boats escorting the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh - takes place from 14:00 BST
- The Big Jubilee Lunch takes place across the UK
- The BBC's Jubilee concert takes place, featuring performances by Sir Paul McCartney and Madness
- At 22:00 BST, more than 4,000 beacons will be lit around the world to mark 60 years of the Queen's reign. The Queen lights the National Beacon at 22:30 BST
- A national service of thanksgiving takes place at St Paul's Cathedral at 10:30 BST, attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
- A lunch at Westminster Hall and a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace is planned, with a balcony appearance by the royals, and fly-past, at 15:30 BST
The Royal Family will then make a balcony appearance at the palace.
On Friday, roads in central London were closed in the early
hours as members of the armed forces and the Household Division were
among 2,000 servicemen and women rehearsing the carriage procession from
Westminster Hall.And crews of the 1,000-strong flotilla that will escort the royal barge along the Thames on Sunday were briefed.
The start of the celebrations was signalled by a 21-gun salute from Royal Navy warship HMS Diamond, in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
And tributes were paid to the Queen on Friday by Prime Minister David Cameron and the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams.
In an interview with Sky News, Mr Cameron said: " What I see in Her Majesty is someone - in spite of the fact she's been on the throne for 60 years, in spite of the fact that her and Prince Philip are now relatively elderly - there is an extraordinary level of physical energy, mental energy, and above all devotion to her people, to the institutions of this country, to the way our democracy works."
Dr Williams issued a video tribute to the Queen, praising her as "someone who can be friendly, who can be informal, who can be extremely funny in private - and not everybody appreciates just how funny she can be - who is quite prepared to tease and to be teased, and who, while retaining her dignity always, doesn't stand on her dignity in a conversation."
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Labour leader Ed Miliband said the
weekend's festivities would celebrate "everything that is best about our
country" and praised the Queen's "selfless dedication to duty".
Beacon lighting
Millions of Britons are expected to take part in Jubilee
parties, outdoor concerts and fairs being staged across the country over
the weekend.
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A day at the races is a fitting start to a celebration of a reign in which horses have provided such pleasure.
Like her corgis, they're blissfully unaware of the Queen's status.
As a child, she confided in her riding instructor that but for her destiny, she would have liked to be a lady living in the country surrounded by animals.
As an adult, they've been her chief relaxation and escape.
Her lifelong enthusiasm began at the age of four when her grandfather, King George V, gave her a Shetland pony called Peggy.
Eight decades on, and now aged 86, she still rides without a riding hat.
The Queen's a passionate horse breeder and racer. The breeding's in the blood. The Royal Stud was founded in the 16th Century.
She's won four out of the five flat racing Classics.
The Derby continues to elude her.
A day at the races is a fitting start to a celebration of a reign in which horses have provided such pleasure.
Like her corgis, they're blissfully unaware of the Queen's status.
As a child, she confided in her riding instructor that but for her destiny, she would have liked to be a lady living in the country surrounded by animals.
As an adult, they've been her chief relaxation and escape.
Her lifelong enthusiasm began at the age of four when her grandfather, King George V, gave her a Shetland pony called Peggy.
Eight decades on, and now aged 86, she still rides without a riding hat.
The Queen's a passionate horse breeder and racer. The breeding's in the blood. The Royal Stud was founded in the 16th Century.
She's won four out of the five flat racing Classics.
The Derby continues to elude her.
On Sunday, in what is being
called the Big Jubilee Lunch, people all over the UK are being
encouraged to share lunch with neighbours and friends in street parties
or picnics to bring communities together.
Monday's concert, in front of Buckingham Palace in the area
surrounding the Queen Victoria Memorial, will see performances from
artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John, Jessie J, JLS and
Ed Sheeran.The concert will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC One HD and on BBC Radio 2 in the UK and to millions around the world.
When it ends at 22:00 BST, more than 4,000 beacons are due to be lit in the UK and around the world.
The Queen lights the UK's last beacon - the National Beacon - at about 22:30 BST, to be followed by a firework display at Buckingham Palace.
The weather forecast is poor for the official celebrations and street parties in the south of England.
Light rain is expected on Saturday, while the next day's Jubilee river pageant along the Thames could be doused in rain with temperatures reaching a high of 11C, according to BBC Weather.
The north of England and Scotland are the most likely areas to avoid the rain.
英国女王６０年、祝賀ムード最高潮 経済効果１兆円とも
  エリザベス女王の即位６０年を祝い、英国旗が飾られたロンドンの市場＝ＡＰ |
  ロンドンの土産物店には、女王の若き日の肖像が飾られていた＝伊東和貴撮影 |
即位６０年を迎えた英エリザベス女王（８６）の祝賀イベントで、英国は２日から４連休に入る。街はお祭りムードであふれ、観光客も増えそうだ。経済効果は１００億ポンド（約１兆２５００億円）との試算もある。
女王は１９５２年２月、父ジョージ６世の死去にともなって２５歳で即位。大英帝国の崩壊など戦後の激変に向き合い、国民統合の象徴として君臨してきた。英君主としては最高齢で、在位期間は１９世紀のビクトリア女王（約６３年７カ月）に迫る。
６０年の節目を祝う催しは引きも切らない。ロンドンの目抜き通りには国旗がはためき、土産物店には紅茶やマグカップなどのグッズが並ぶ。百貨店のハロッ ズは、バッキンガム宮殿や馬車が描かれた特製バッグや香水を販売している。「ジョニー・ウォーカー」の製造元は、女王が即位した５２年から熟成させた１本 １０万ポンド（約１２５０万円）のウイスキーを６０本売り出した。
女王は１９５２年２月、父ジョージ６世の死去にともなって２５歳で即位。大英帝国の崩壊など戦後の激変に向き合い、国民統合の象徴として君臨してきた。英君主としては最高齢で、在位期間は１９世紀のビクトリア女王（約６３年７カ月）に迫る。
６０年の節目を祝う催しは引きも切らない。ロンドンの目抜き通りには国旗がはためき、土産物店には紅茶やマグカップなどのグッズが並ぶ。百貨店のハロッ ズは、バッキンガム宮殿や馬車が描かれた特製バッグや香水を販売している。「ジョニー・ウォーカー」の製造元は、女王が即位した５２年から熟成させた１本 １０万ポンド（約１２５０万円）のウイスキーを６０本売り出した。
看了12位首相中的幾個年輕的 在拍手起立
Diamond Jubilee: Queen rededicates herself to UK
Highlights of the Queen's visit to Parliament event to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee
The Queen has said she is rededicating herself to the service of the UK and its people as she celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.
In a speech to both Houses of Parliament, she said the
commemoration of her 60 years on the throne was a chance "to come
together in a spirit of neighbourliness and celebration".The Queen also praised Prince Philip for his "constant strength".
A stained glassed window commissioned for the Jubilee was unveiled.
Hundreds of dignitaries, including Prime Minister David Cameron, his deputy Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, assembled for the speech, which was greeted with a standing ovation.
The Queen responded to tributes made to her in both Houses of Parliament earlier this month.
'Ingenuity and tolerance' These "humble addresses" were officially presented to her by Commons Speaker John Bercow and Lords Speaker Baroness D'Souza.
Speaking in Westminster Hall, the Queen paid tribute to the British virtues of "resilience, ingenuity and tolerance", and to the Duke of Edinburgh, whom she called her "constant strength and guide" over the decades.
Continue reading the main story
This was a confident Queen who didn't court controversy.
She tried a few gags. Once they had warmed up, her audience - which included political foes forced to sit next to each other and exchange pleasantries - laughed on cue.
She paid a public tribute to the man who, privately, plays such a pivotal role in her life.
Prince Philip listened in silence - very much his role when on display these past sixty years.
Her talk of rededicating herself to the service of "our great country" will come as no great surprise - abdication is still a taboo word for the Windsors.
But it will have pained the small number of protesters seeking an elected head of state who gathered outside Westminster Hall.
Their pain will only increase in the coming months as the Diamond Jubilee is celebrated in the sixteen countries where Elizabeth is still Queen.
This was a confident Queen who didn't court controversy.
She tried a few gags. Once they had warmed up, her audience - which included political foes forced to sit next to each other and exchange pleasantries - laughed on cue.
She paid a public tribute to the man who, privately, plays such a pivotal role in her life.
Prince Philip listened in silence - very much his role when on display these past sixty years.
Her talk of rededicating herself to the service of "our great country" will come as no great surprise - abdication is still a taboo word for the Windsors.
But it will have pained the small number of protesters seeking an elected head of state who gathered outside Westminster Hall.
Their pain will only increase in the coming months as the Diamond Jubilee is celebrated in the sixteen countries where Elizabeth is still Queen.
She said: "During these years as your Queen, the support of my family has, across the generations, been beyond measure.
"Prince Philip is, I believe, well-known for declining
compliments of any kind. But throughout he has been a constant strength
and guide."Reflecting on the ancient setting for her address: "We are reminded here of our past, of the continuity of our national story and the virtues of resilience, ingenuity and tolerance which created it.
"I have been privileged to witness some of that history and, with the support of my family, rededicate myself to the service of our great country and its people now and in the years to come."
The Queen also looked back at the only other monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee, Queen Victoria, in 1897.
She said: "So, in an era when the regular, worthy rhythm of life is less eye-catching than doing something extraordinary, I am reassured that I am merely the second sovereign to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee."
Ahead of the speech, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow praised the Queen for presiding over an increase in diversity in public life during her reign, describing her as a "kaleidoscope Queen of a kaleidoscope country in a kaleidoscope Commonwealth".
'Close affinity' The tradition of both houses of Parliament making addresses to the monarch and the sovereign replying dates back to the 16th Century.
Such events have been staged in Westminster Hall since George V's Silver Jubilee in 1935.
To mark the occasion, the Queen was presented with the specially commissioned stained glass window as a gift by members of both Houses of Parliament.
Past prime ministers were in Westminster Hall for the Queen's address
In her speech, the Queen praised the "remarkable sacrifice and courage of our armed forces", adding: "Much may have indeed have changed these past 60 years but the valour of those who risk their lives for the defence and freedom of us all remains undimmed."
Members of the Royal Family have begun touring the Commonwealth to mark the Diamond Jubilee, with Prince Harry recently returning from a trip to Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica.
The Queen said: "These overseas tours are a reminder of our close affinity with the Commonwealth, encompassing about one-third of the world's population.
"My own association with the Commonwealth has taught me that the most important contact between nations is usually contact between its peoples.
"An organisation dedicated to certain values, the Commonwealth has flourished and grown by successfully promoting and protecting that contact."
Monarchy debate A small number of anti-monarchy protesters gathered outside Parliament during the Queen's speech.
Supporters of the campaign group Republic, which wants a "democratic alternative" to the monarchy, said there needed to be a debate about whether a hereditary institution was appropriate for the country in the 21st Century.
"The role of head of state is too important simply to be chosen by an accident of birth," Labour MP Katy Clark told Radio 4's World at One.
"It should not be a hereditary position that people are entitled to. We should have a say over who it is."
Few people are accorded the honour of addressing both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall. Among those to have done so in recent times include US President Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI.
The Queen addressed Parliament in 1977 and 2002 when she marked her Silver and Golden Jubilees respectively.
The Queen began her Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK in Leicester earlier this month. Celebrations will come to a head in June during a four-day series of events.
Queen Elizabeth II in Public and Private
Photograph by Lisa Sheridan/Hulton Archive — Getty Images
Heir to the throne: Princess Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace, 1946.
By ALAN RIDING
Published: January 27, 2012
Correction Appended
As a British expat trying to keep in touch with the old sod, I’ve acquired the slightly eccentric habit of buying coffee mugs recording key moments in the public life of our royal family. Alas, those celebrating the weddings of Prince Charles and Prince Andrew broke soon after their marriages fell apart. Not so the mug I bought for Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. In fine bone china, no less than in person, she just keeps on going.
ELIZABETH THE QUEEN
The Life of a Modern Monarch
By Sally Bedell Smith
Illustrated. 663 pp. Random House. $30.
Related
Times Topics: Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain | Royal Family
This year she will celebrate the 60th anniversary of her reign, only the second Diamond Jubilee in British history. (Queen Victoria’s, in 1897, was the first.) And along with, yes, more coffee mugs, the occasion has triggered a round of reverential royal biographies, including one by an American, Sally Bedell Smith. In “Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch,” she curtsies before the British throne as deeply as a lady-in-waiting.
This is not uncharted territory for Smith — she already peeped behind the palace curtains in her 1999 best seller, “Diana in Search of Herself” — but Elizabeth is a far more elusive subject than the former Princess of Wales. For her new venture into court life, Smith taps a host of public sources and tracks down friends and former courtiers of the queen who are willing to share more intimate tidbits (all too often about horses and corgis). But despite that, she faces a problem encountered, I suspect, by other royal biographers. Elizabeth has lived a remarkable life yet one that, quite frankly, is a bit dull to recount. Put differently, her somewhat dysfunctional family has provided far livelier copy.
Partly to blame is her unfailing professionalism, which became apparent soon after her Uncle David, a k a Edward VIII, abdicated in favor of her father, Bertie, a k a George VI, in 1936. “Does that mean that you will have to be the next queen?” her sister, Margaret, asked. “Yes, someday,” Elizabeth replied. “Poor you,” Margaret observed. At the time, Princess Elizabeth was only 10.
To even half-attentive royal watchers, the next stages of her life are familiar enough. She was tutored privately. She fell in love with her future consort, Prince Philip, when she was 13 and married him eight years later. She began royal tours when her father was ailing and was on safari with Philip in Kenya when George VI died on Feb. 6, 1952. She was crowned on June 2, 1953. She was 27.
Since then, Elizabeth has reigned but not ruled. As head of state, she has presided over British involvement in a string of military conflicts, from Korea to Afghanistan. She has also received weekly briefings from successive British prime ministers: David Cameron is the 12th. But she is allowed to express no political opinion that has not been authorized by the government. Rather, her role is to personify orderly continuity from a majestic height. She has traveled the globe tirelessly. At home, she holds garden parties, hands out medals and honors, visits hospitals and goes to the races. This doesn’t always make for exciting reading. Time and again, Smith writes of Elizabeth’s “rounds of official duties” and “her familiar routines,” her “morning obligations.”
That said, Elizabeth has preserved the myths and mystery of the monarchy by remaining aloof from her subjects. In private, close friends describe her as “straightforward and down to earth,” with an excellent sense of humor. But the public at large has no way of knowing what she feels. Smith quotes a British politician, Richard Crossman, for guidance: “When she is deeply moved and tries to control it she looks like an angry thundercloud.”
Still, for all Elizabeth’s exemplary self-discipline, she has been unable to avoid the tabloid spotlight thrown on her family by the marital shenanigans of her sister and three of her four children. And since the queen was undoubtedly upset by these events, Smith can be forgiven for retelling the often salacious stories of secret lovers and mistresses and high-profile divorces. Only once was Elizabeth’s own image bruised: in the days after Diana’s death in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, the queen remained ensconced in her Scottish home at Balmoral, prompting bitter complaints from public and press that she wasn’t sharing the nation’s pain. Belatedly, she made a sober television address and joined the mourners, letting it be known that she had been caring for Diana’s children, Princes William and Harry.
But all this is well-trodden ground. Smith might have added depth by examining why republicanism has never taken root in Britain, why the British people feel so attached to the crown, why a Nordic-style popular monarchy offers no appeal to the British, whether the royal family symbolizes nostalgia for a once truly Great Britain — indeed, whether Elizabeth will be remembered as the last genuinely majestic figure to sit on Britain’s throne.
The answer to this last question, though, can probably wait. Now 85, Elizabeth appears to be in good health and ready for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations scheduled for June. On Sept. 10, 2015, she will have been queen longer than Victoria or any other British monarch. And don’t forget that her mother lived to be 101. My collection of royal coffee mugs looks set to keep growing.
Correction: January 30, 2012An earlier version of the picture of Princess Elizabeth at her desk in 1946 was published in mirror image. (The reversed image was distributed by Getty Images.)
****
Queen Elizabeth II
Royal bow
Why the queen has to be seen to be believed(32)Queen Elizabeth II
Royal bow
Why the queen has to be seen to be believed
Jan 28th 2012 | from the print edition
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Our Times. By Sarah Bradford. Viking; 305 pages; £20. Buy from Amazon.co.uk
A Brief Life of the Queen. By Robert Lacey. Duckworth Overlook; 166 pages; £9.99. T. Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Our Queen. By Robert Hardman. Hutchinson; 356 pages; £20. To be published in America in April as “Her Majesty: Queen Elizabeth II and her Court” by Pegasus; $27.95. Buy from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch. By Sally Bedell Smith. Random House; 663 pages; $30. Penguin; £6.99. Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
BEING on show is a serious business for Queen Elizabeth II who acceded to the throne 60 years ago next month. On royal tours and walkabouts, she is careful to choose bright colours and small-brimmed hats, glides through crowds “like a liner” and seemingly never tires. “Oh look! She’s keeled over again,” the queen once noted at a stifling-hot palace reception, spotting her then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, pale and slumped in a chair.
On several occasions she has been urged to retreat behind more obtrusive layers of security. Each time she has refused with something between a joke and a motto for her six decades on the throne, telling aides: “I have to be seen to be believed.”
Yet for the 85-year-old monarch, pictured above with Prince Charles shortly before her coronation, belief requires distance, too. Younger generations of royals have kissed and told. But the queen has never given an interview. Though some of her 12 British prime ministers were convinced they forged a special bond during weekly audiences with their sovereign, her personal politics remain unknown.
Over the years, various aristocrats, cousins and horse-racing grandees have been more or less plausibly identified as her friends. Even among such intimates, boundaries are observed, for fear of crossing an unseen line and triggering a stare of blank, silent rebuke. “She is never—you know—not the Queen,” advises an unnamed friend, quoted in the opening lines of a new biography by the BBC’s senior political interviewer, Andrew Marr.
Yet as a constitutional monarch, ruling with the tacit consent of the majority, she is not the only judge of the trade-off between necessary display and indispensable discretion. The public have a say as well. Some of the queen’s closest brushes with disaster have involved a lack of visibility, most painfully in 1997 when she remained in Scotland with the royal family after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. She only returned to London after pleas from her new, young prime minister, Tony Blair (and lynch-mob demands to “Show Us You Care” from the tabloids).
The double nature of the queen—an unusually private woman with extraordinary public duties—poses a test for all who try to write about her. Including Mr Marr’s book, five new biographies have been prepared for 2012, the queen’s diamond jubilee year. The authors boast of watching the queen at work, interviewing officials from the royal household and of trawling through archives. They quote family members, friends and people with a claim to know the queen.
In the process, all five biographers wrestle with the question neatly framed by their subject herself: if to see the queen is to believe in her, what vantage point allows the most authentic experience of faith? Which queen is the most “real”, the private woman or the public figure? Each offers a different answer.
Two of the authors, Sarah Bradford and Robert Lacey, are veteran royal historians, whose 2012 biographies draw on previously published work. With the frankness of an old pro, at one point Ms Bradford names different schools of royal-watching. There is the “work of the Queen” genre, as pioneered by the 1969 television film “Royal Family”, which showed the monarch working through boxes of state papers, preparing state visits or relaxing with her family. Alas, she explains, once the public had seen inside royal drawing rooms, they soon wanted to peer into the bedroom. Thus arose the “royal soap opera” genre. Ms Bradford takes readers on a brisk, assured canter through the familiar landmarks of both genres, adding a dose of history as she goes. Mr Lacey, who has been writing about the queen for nearly 40 years, advertises his slim volume as a “pleasant afternoon’s reading”, which it is not. At once knowledgeable and jaundiced, Mr Lacey seems slightly sick of his royal subjects, as do the unnamed courtiers and insiders whom he quotes.
Robert Hardman, a royal correspondent for the Daily Mail, offers a convincing tour of the British monarchy as an institution, apeing the vantage point of the fly-on-the-wall documentary. His access produces an interview with Prince William and several lesser scoops—a rarity in the world of royal biography, in which the same anecdotes turn up in each book. But access has its limitations. The young prince is more loyal than revelatory about his grandmother, explaining that her “gravitas” awes even her family, that she offers good advice and was “so excited” by her 2011 state visit to Ireland. Some lesser sources appear to be quoted largely to thank them for their time.
Sally Bedell Smith, an American society biographer, offers her readers the illusion of knowing the queen as a friend. Ms Bedell Smith brightly describes her own brief chats with the monarch at a Washington garden party and a London reception, before sprinkling her account with minute indiscretions from other people who have met her. The elder President Bush reveals that Elizabeth II is “rather formal” but not “standoffish”. A witness describes how a puppy defecated in front of the queen during a visit to a Kentucky horse-breeder, breaking the ice. Nancy Reagan recalls a breakfast with the queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles at Windsor Castle; she was surprised that everyone poured their own cereal from the box. It is reported that the queen likes a travel rug round her knees and used to wear a hard hat when watching stallions cover her mares (now she stands on a viewing platform, after health and safety advice). This footling stuff is only of any interest because it is about the queen. But—fatally—those same domestic details have nothing to do with why Elizabeth II, as queen, is interesting.
Mr Marr, a former political editor of the BBC and author of some shrewd books on modern Britain, sets himself a more ambitious task: to explain what the queen’s role and position tell us about her subjects. It is an admiring portrait, of an unfashionably dutiful monarch who in her weekly audiences offers prime ministers what he calls “a kind of higher therapy”—a chance to share anxieties or explanations which will never leak, with someone who has read almost every state secret of the past 60 years (and so has heard worse before). He describes the queen and her strong sense of vocation, as a monarch “God-called” to give her life to her people as a sacrifice. Only by understanding that calling, he writes, can the queen be understood.
In perhaps a claim too far, Mr Marr emphasises the comfort offered by the queen as a symbol of the continuing British state. By representing those who did not vote for the current government or did not vote at all, she strengthens democracy, he suggests. It is a clever thought, but may overstate the degree to which most Britons suffer from constitutional angst.
But a symbol she certainly is. And in modern Britain—a restless, exhibitionist place—Mr Marr’s Queen Elizabeth stands out for her discretion, and for understanding that symbols are “better off keeping mostly quiet”. There is a lesson there for her heir, the Prince of Wales, Mr Marr suggests sharply.
Mr Marr palpably likes the queen, whether for touring the country to greet and thank people mostly ignored by “London power brokers”, or for relaxing when her work is done with “a glass of something cheerful”. Yet liking is not really the point. In Mr Marr’s words, there is only a little space, though “an interesting space”, between the queen and the woman who lives her life. Her calling gives her meaning. She “is what she does”.
Mr Marr’s sober conclusion feels right. To adapt the queen’s one-liner: for all that the spectacle and unattainable glamour of royalty still fascinates (and helps sell books), for Britain’s jubilee monarch the show is a means to an end. Being seen is about being believed.
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