Associated Press
LONDON – Huge flag-waving crowds cheered Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday in a display of loyalty and affection as Britain celebrated the 50th anniversary of her reign with regal processions and an exuberant international carnival.
In four days of Golden Jubilee festivities that drew throngs up to a million strong to the streets surrounding Buckingham Palace, the 76-year-old queen appeared to have strengthened a bond with the British people that has withstood some of the most turbulent years in the history of the modern monarchy.
Returning the warmth she has received, the queen said Tuesday that she was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response and felt “gratitude, respect and pride” in the people of Britain and the Commonwealth.
And in a sign of her increasing openness, she subtly rebutted years of criticism of her family relationships, making a forthright declaration of admiration for Prince Charles and love for all her children.
The streets of central London resounded with cheers Tuesday morning as the queen and Prince Philip rode in a splendid golden coach to a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
More than 700,000 people, waving flags and roaring their support, lined the procession route from Buckingham Palace as the royal pair passed by in the Gold State Coach drawn by eight white horses and escorted by scores of scarlet-clad cavalrymen.
The queen rode in the gold coach to her coronation in 1953, and at her Silver Jubilee in 1977.
“We came to support the queen,” said 36-year-old Diane Horne, standing patiently on Fleet Street with her husband and 19-month-old son to see the spectacular procession. “This is something that just doesn’t happen; it’s once in a lifetime.”
Only hours before, an estimated 1 million people had thronged the parks and roads around the palace to hear some of Britain’s classic rockers and new pop stars tear up the night with a “Party at the Palace.”
While more than 12,000 ticket holders swayed and clapped with the royals inside the palace grounds, hundreds of thousands of other fans watched on huge video screens and were treated to a huge fireworks display.
Tuesday began with a more sober recognition of the fact that the queen, who acceded to the throne at age 25, has spent most of her adult life as Britain’s head of state and intends to remain so for the rest of her years.
“Yours was a vocation which you did not seek; it was a task to which you were anointed,” Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said during the St. Paul’s service. “It came to you at an age when few people are ready to assume burdens of responsibility, even far lighter ones.
“Here, now, in this great cathedral, we give thanks, Your Majesty, for your devotion and your dedication over 50 extraordinary years,” he said. “And we offer in return our respect, our admiration and, yes, our love.”
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