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Queen vows to keep serving

The Queen briefly appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, her royal residence in central London, at the end of day-long pageant featuring street arts, music and carnival in central London…reports Asian Lite News

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch of Britin, has vowed to keep serving the people after celebrations for her 70 years of reign.

“When it comes to how to mark 70 years as your queen, there is no guidebook to follow… But I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee,” the 96-year-old monarch said in a statement on Sunday, capping the four-day national celebrations.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London for celebrations that include military parades, concerts and cultural shows.

The Queen briefly appeared Sunday afternoon on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, her royal residence in central London, at the end of day-long pageant featuring street arts, music and carnival in central London.

She missed a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Friday and a star-studded concert and light show outside Buckingham Palace on Saturday due to her mobility issue after appearing on the Palace’s balcony for Trooping the Color on Thursday.

“While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all; and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family,” the Queen said.

Pageant

Sunday’s £15-million ($18.7-million, 17.5-million-euro) “Platinum Jubilee Pageant” featuring some 10,000 people, began with a parade of armed forces from the UK and the Commonwealth she heads.

The queen’s hologram was projected onto the sovereign’s 260-year-old Gold State Coach that led the celebration of her record-breaking reign.

Some 6,000 disabled and non-disabled performers from street theatre, carnival and puppetry joined in to celebrate the queen’s life and reign.

Highlights included an aerial artist suspended under a vast helium balloon, known as a heliosphere, bearing the sovereign’s image.

The carnival included a giant oak tree flanked with maypole dancers, a huge moving wedding cake, bangra drummers, steel bands, plus African-Caribbean carnival animals and a towering dancing dragon.

In the royal box, Charles kept his four-year-old grandson Prince Louis entertained, bouncing him on his knees to the rhythm of the music.

Elsewhere across the country, more than 10 million people are estimated to have braved overcast skies to share food with friends, family and neighbours to mark the occasion.

End of era

Two public holidays on Thursday and Friday, longer pub opening hours, street parties and other events have temporarily lifted the gloom of soaring inflation and political turmoil plus two years of enforced Covid closures.

Many saw it as a once-in-a-generation event to mark the closing of an extraordinary chapter in British life and to recognise its most famous national symbol.

On Saturday night, she put in a surprise on-screen appearance, taking tea with the beloved children’s book and film character Paddington Bear.

In the pre-recorded video, she tapped out the drumbeat of rock band Queen’s “We Will Rock You” — the concert’s opening number — on a fine china teacup and saucer to get the party started.

A peak of 13.4 million viewers watched the concert on television, the BBC said.

The queen previously made a cameo with James Bond actor Daniel Craig for the opening of the London 2012 Olympics.

A running theme has been the dramatic social, political and technological changes in Britain and the world since the queen came to the throne — and her constant presence through it all.

With Charles now 73, the next jubilee — probably for his eldest son William’s 25th year on the throne — could be at least 50 years away.

“She’s been the queen my whole life,” said visiting American John Barli, 66.

“She’s the world’s grandmother as far I’m concerned,” he told the Sunday Times.

But there was also acknowledgement the second Elizabethan era — five centuries after the first — is nearly over.

‘Long goodbye’

A spectacular light show illuminated the palace and the night sky above it on Saturday, including images of a corgi, a handbag and a teapot.

One message said simply: “Thank you, Ma’am.”

“Inevitably, this celebration had a valedictory feel,” the Sunday Telegraph said of Saturday’s concert, which was headlined by Diana Ross.

“But there is also the keen awareness that we will never see the likes of this monarch again.”

“It won’t be the same without our queen,” Julie Blewitt, 56, from Manchester, told AFP outside St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.

“It’s such a shame she won’t be here for much longer.”

The Observer weekly called it “part of a long goodbye that began with her solitary attendance at Prince Philip’s funeral last year”.

The queen has gradually been preparing the public for the familiar figure of Charles to take over as king.

The jubilee was “an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last 70 years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm,” she said in a message on Wednesday.

Yet the institution that Charles and, after him, William will lead will be different from the one Elizabeth inherited in the aftermath of World War II.

Then, Britain was still a major colonial power but republican movements are gathering pace in the 14 Commonwealth countries where the queen is also head of state, including Australia and in the Caribbean.

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Prince Charles pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth

In the clip on Saturday, she told Paddington she always kept the Bear’s favourite – a marmalade sandwich – in her ever-present handbag…reports Asian Lite News

Prince Charles paid an emotional personal tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on Saturday during celebrations to mark her Platinum Jubilee, praising the monarch for uniting the nation and continuing to make history during her 70-year reign.

Charles spoke at a pop concert that opened with a comic sketch of the 96-year-old monarch having tea with Paddington Bear and tapping out the tune to the Queen anthem “We Will Rock You” on her china teacup.

The heir-to-the-throne appeared towards the end of the concert at Buckingham Palace. As images of Elizabeth’s reign were displayed on the walls, Charles, 73, said the Jubilee had given the country the chance to say thank you.

“You pledged to serve your whole life – you continue to deliver. That is why we are here,” he said in a message to the queen, who was at her Windsor Castle residence outside London.

“You have met us and talked with us. You laugh and cry with us and, most importantly, you have been there for us, for these 70 years,” he added, referring to the queen as “mummy”.

The Saturday festivities were among a number of Jubilee events that Elizabeth has missed because of “episodic mobility problems” that have caused her to cancel engagements recently.

The opening video with the fictional character Paddington had echoes of 2012 when the queen appeared with Britain’s most famous fictional spy, James Bond, in a video for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

In the clip on Saturday, she told Paddington she always kept the Bear’s favourite – a marmalade sandwich – in her ever-present handbag.

A palace spokesman said: “The opportunity to invite a famous bear to tea was just too much fun to miss.”

Queen’s “We Will Rock You” then opened the show before the cast of “Hamilton,” Andrea Bocelli, Alicia Keys and Diana Ross performed in front of tens of thousands of people crammed around the palace, down the Mall grand boulevard and in a nearby park.

Charles and wife Camilla; son William, wife Kate and their two eldest children sang along with the crowd before an aerial drone light show projected images into the sky, including the monarch on a stamp and the outline of her dogs.

The four days of celebrations to mark the monarch’s seven decades as queen began on Thursday with a military parade and a Royal Air Force flypast, and a National Service of Thanksgiving on Friday.

At the concert, Prince William spoke about his family’s record on the environment, while Charles also acknowledged his father, Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99.

“My papa would have enjoyed the show and joined us wholeheartedly in celebrating all you continue to do for your country and your people,” he said.

“You continue to make history.”

Elizabeth ascended the throne aged 25 on the death of her father, George VI, in 1952, inheriting dominion over a Britain still emerging from the ravages of World War Two and with Winston Churchill as prime minister.

In total, there have been 14 prime ministers and 14 U.S. presidents during her reign; the Berlin Wall rose and fell; Britain joined and left the European Union; and her nation’s own once-mighty empire disintegrated, replaced by a Commonwealth of 54 nations. Elizabeth was instrumental in creating the latter and many regard its success as her greatest achievement.

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Salman Rushdie leads Queen’s birthday honours list

Queen’s Birthday Honours: Salman Rushdie is named a Companion of Honour, an exclusive club with membership limited to just 65 people at any given time, for services to literature…reports Asian Lite News

Salman Rushdie, the Mumbai-born author of the Booker Prize-winning novel ‘Midnight’s Children’, leads a list of over 40 professionals and community champions of Indian-origin to be honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Rushdie is named a Companion of Honour, an exclusive club with membership limited to just 65 people at any given time, for services to literature in a list released yesterday night as the Jubilee Honours to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years of service to the UK.

“It’s a privilege to be included in such illustrious company, both past and present,” said the 74-year-old author, who was the subject of a fatwa by Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini for his controversial novel ‘The Satanic Verses’ over 30 years ago.

The Companion of Honour is a special award granted to those who have made a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time.

Very few receive this high honour, which has been conferred on the likes of former British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and John Major and renowned physicist Stephen Hawking in the past.

“Born in Bombay, he later attended Rugby School and King’s College, Cambridge, where he read History,” reads the citation for Salman Rusdhie, author of 14 novels.

“Beginning his career in advertising, ‘Midnight’s Children’ was twice (1993 and 2008) voted Best of the Bookers by the public. He was knighted for services to literature in 2007. He is also a storied author of non-fiction, an essayist, co-editor and a noted humanist,” it notes.

Others honoured with some of the higher royal awards coinciding with celebrations of the 96-year-old monarch’s 70-year reign, include a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for Avnish Mitter Goyal, Chair of Care England, for services to social care and philanthropy.

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBEs) include hotelier Kishorkant (Vinu) Bhattessa for charitable and voluntary services, particularly during COVID-19, and Liverpool headteacher Rohit Naik for services to education.

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) recognise a large number of British Indians who have contributed to their local community, including Councillors Pranav Bhanot and Ameet Jogia.

In the healthcare sector, Professor Indranil Chakravorty of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) and orthopaedic surgeon Professor Srimathi Rajagopalan Murali are among those to be conferred with an MBE.

Dr Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Sandeep Mahal, Professor Daljit Nagra and Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan are among those honoured with MBEs in the field of arts, culture and literature.

“I’m thrilled and humbled to receive this significant recognition for my academic and voluntary work,” said Dr Nikita Ved, Research Fellow and Lecturer in Medicine at the University of Oxford and co-founder of the 1928 Institute dedicated to British Indian research, who received an MBE for services to COVID-19 Response.

“Although myself and others have reservations on the phrase ‘Member of the British Empire’, I am accepting this award in the spirit of being acknowledged, particularly at my age as I feel many young people are overlooked for their hard work,” said the 32-year-old academic.

Further down the list, Varsha Kumari Mistry – a Forensic Practitioner at Scotland Yard – has been conferred a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for services to diversity and inclusion in policing and to the Hindu community.

In tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, recipients have been awarded for their outstanding contributions across all sectors, but in particular for sustained public service, the environment and sustainability, and youth engagement.

“This historic Platinum Jubilee is not only a celebration of the monarch but of the qualities she possesses,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“The honours she confers this week reflect many of those qualities that have been invaluable from all different walks of life and to communities across the UK. I pay tribute to all of this year’s winners. Their stories of courage and compassion are an inspiration to us all,” he said.

A total of 1,134 candidates have been named for honours across different fields by the UK Cabinet Office – which compiles the list, with 13.3 per cent of the successful candidates from an ethnic minority background.

Others to receive high honours include a knighthood for crime writer Ian Rankin and CBEs for actor Damian Lewis and fashion designer Stella McCartney.

The honours list is annually published to coincide with the Queen’s official birthday celebrations in early June. This year is being marked with added pomp and ceremony as the Platinum Jubilee of the longest-serving British monarch.

ALSO READ-Queen offers thanks as Jubilee celebrations begin

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Queen offers thanks as Jubilee celebrations begin

June 2 marks not only the start of the Jubilee, but also the 69th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, who became queen on the death of her father George VI in February 1952…reports Asian Lite News

Queen Elizabeth thanked all those involved in her Platinum Jubilee celebrations ahead of four days of pomp, parties, parades and public holidays to herald her record-breaking 70 years on the British throne.

Millions of people across Britain and the world are expected to join the festivities starting on June 2 in honour of the 96-year-old, who has reigned for longer than any of her predecessors, the government said.

“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in convening communities, families, neighbours and friends to mark my Platinum Jubilee, in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth,” the Queen said in a statement.

“I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last 70 years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm.”

However, in a sign of the monarch’s advancing years and recent “episodic mobility” issues which have led her to cancel some engagements, Queen’s personal involvement in the events might be somewhat limited.

The celebrations begin with the Trooping the Colour military parade in central London, and for the first time the Queen will take the salute from the 1,500 soldiers and officers from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Other senior royals, including son and heir Prince Charles, 73, and his eldest son Prince William, 39, will carry out other ceremonial duties on her behalf, although much attention will be focused on those who will not be present.

Second son Prince Andrew, 62, who settled a US lawsuit in February in which he was accused of sexually abusing a woman when she was underage, is not expected to attend.

Her grandson Prince Harry, now living in Los Angeles with his American wife Meghan, will also be absent when the royal family gathers on the palace balcony to watch a fly-past by modern and historic Royal Air Force planes after the parade.

There will also be gun salutes in London, across Britain and from Royal Navy ships at sea at midday, while in the evening beacons will be lit across the country and the Commonwealth, with the queen leading the lighting of the Principal Platinum Jubilee Beacon at her Windsor Castle home.

Still popular

June 2 marks not only the start of the Jubilee, but also the 69th anniversary of the coronation of the Queen, who became queen on the death of her father George VI in February 1952.

Polls show she remains hugely popular and respected among her subjects, with one survey this week showing eight in 10 people held a positive view of her, and another found three-quarters thought she had done a good job as queen.

June 3 will see a thanksgiving service at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, while on June 4 royal family members will attend the Epsom Derby horse race.

Later, there will be a concert outside Buckingham Palace, featuring the likes of rock group Queen, American R&B singer Alicia Keys, and U.S. singer Diana Ross.

On Sunday, officials estimate more than 16,000 street parties will take place in Britain, and the British government says some 600 “Big Jubilee Lunches” will be held in 80 countries from Greenland to New Zealand.

Celebrations will conclude with a pageant through the British capital.

“The queen is what is great in Great Britain,” said Mary-Jane Willows, 69, from Cornwall, southwest England, who was camping out on the Mall boulevard, leading to Buckingham Palace, where lamposts are bedecked in Union flags.

“Without the queen, Britain would be Britain, but she makes it great. She stands for everything that I am proud of.”

Not everyone will be joining in the festivities though. Anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, which is putting up the message “Make Elizabeth the last” on billboards across Britain, said a survey showed more than half of the public were not interested in the jubilee.

But, for superfans like American Donna Werner, 70, who had travelled over from Connecticut and was also camping on the Mall, the royals and the Queen remain captivating.

“She’s just a role model,” said Werner, who regularly comes to Britain for major royal occasions having made her first trip back in 1986. “I mean she’s just a wonderful leader and I just wanted to celebrate with her on her 70 years of being queen.”

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PLATINUM JUBILEE: The festivities begin

The Derby at Epsom Downs: Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs…reports Asian Lite News

Britain is witnessing an unprecedented celebrity mood to mark the Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.

The four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service.  The Major Events Are:

Thursday 2nd June

Trooping the Colour: The Queen’s Birthday Parade will be held on Thursday 2nd June 2022 starting at 11am. The colour will be trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and more than 1200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division will put on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade, together with hundreds of Army musicians and around 240 horses. This annual event has now marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years.

During the Queen’s birthday parade A Royal Gun Salute will be fired. During the ceremony, there will be an opportunity to watch the event via large screens, set up in St James’ Park and many more members of the public will be able to watch the spectacle live on BBC and Sky television, not just in the UK but overseas too. Once the parade has ended and the Royal Procession has returned to Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family’s balcony appearance will happen as in previous years. There will be an impressive Flypast to coincide with the Royal Family’s balcony appearance.

Friday 3rd June

St Paul’s Cathedral – Service of Thanksgiving: A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will be rung for the Service. It was made in 1882, but fell silent in the 1970s due to a broken mechanism. It was restored in 2021 and has been rung on 8 occasions since, but this is the 1st royal occasion it will be rung.

Saturday 4th June

The Derby at Epsom Downs: Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs.

Platinum Party at the Palace: Hosts Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp will lead live coverage of the Platinum Party at the Palace and air live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and across the BBC network. The celebration will see famous faces from the world of entertainment brought together to perform for a night of musical tributes to celebrate the Jubilee. 22,000 people will attend the event including 10,000 allocated in a public ballot and 5,000 tickets for key workers. And now for the first time, the BBC have released artist visuals of the impressive setting and stage where the acts will perform. The full line-up of acts will be announced by the BBC in the coming weeks.

The Big Jubilee Lunch:

Over 60k people have registered to host Big Jubilee Lunches on the Platinum celebration weekend, with events ranging from world record attempts for the longest street party to back garden BBQ’s and everything in between. Over ten million people across the UK are expected to be joining the celebrations to share friendship, food and fun at Big Jubilee Lunches as part of this nationwide act of community friendship. People across the world are also joining in with over 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches being planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond – from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan and South Africa to Switzerland.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant: ​The Gold State Carriage, led by The Sovereign’s Escort, will lead the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, embracing the latest in digital technology to evoke the excitement and majesty of her journey to be crowned 70 years ago.

The Pageant will serve as an opportunity to gather and pay tribute to Her Majesty. It will culminate with the singing of the National Anthem, ‘God Save the Queen’ and a gospel choir to the sounds of the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.

The Pageant will bring to life iconic moments from The Queen’s reign as well as showcasing our changing society over the past 70 years.  10,000 people are involved, including the military, over 6,000 volunteers, performers, key workers and 2,500 members of the general public.

People from all over the UK and across the Commonwealth are giving their time and creativity to build this event and celebrate this momentous occasion. Communities across the UK will find a connection to the ‘People’s Pageant’. 

National treasures and iconic figures from music, film, sport and the arts will take part in the Pageant including much-loved celebrity names, alongside military personnel, key workers and volunteers.

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Millions prepare to celebrate Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

The weekend will be rounded off with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday on The Mall which will culminate in 150 national treasures, including Ed Sheeran, paying tribute to Her Majesty The Queen..reports Asian Lite News

Millions of people are gearing up to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over a blockbuster four-day bank holiday weekend.

Celebrations begin on Thursday with the Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) taking place at Horseguards Parade in London. It will be followed by a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s on Friday, royal attendance at the Derby, Epsom on Saturday and then a Party at the Palace on Saturday night with some of the biggest names in music performing.

The weekend will be rounded off with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday on The Mall which will culminate in 150 national treasures, including Ed Sheeran, paying tribute to Her Majesty The Queen.

Big screens broadcasting the events will be placed in The Mall in London, Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens and in Cardiff’s Bute Park.

At home, people can watch the events on the BBC, Sky and ITV and, across the country, millions will sit down to a Big Jubilee Lunch over the weekend with more than 200,000 local events – including screenings, street parties and lunches – planned.

Across the Commonwealth and the rest of the world, more than 600 Big Jubilee Lunches are planned in more than 80 countries – from Greenland to New Zealand.

Scores of TV channels and reporters from around the world have flocked to London to cover the historic celebrations.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said, “For seventy years The Queen has been the ultimate symbol of what it means to be British. Her steadfast leadership and unwavering service through good and bad has been an inspiration to so many. With four days of celebrations and millions around the world taking part, this weekend will be a fitting tribute and celebration of her service and dedication to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth.”

A four-day extravaganza of events

The Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend in Central London begins on Thursday with the traditional Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) which will see more than 1,500 soldiers and musicians, around 240 horses and the Irish Guards mascot, Turlough Mor the Irish Wolfhound, take to Horse Guards Parade.

Around 7,000 ticketed members of the public will watch the ceremony from the stands on Horse Guards Parade as they return for the first time since the pandemic. Another 7,000 members of the Armed Forces Community invited by the Royal British Legion will watch Trooping the Colour from the seating around the Queen Victoria Memorial. The parade will finish with the traditional RAF flypast and balcony moment. Beacons will be lit throughout the UK and the Commonwealth in the evening.

On Friday, a Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s 70-year reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. The service will include Bible readings, anthems, prayers and congregational hymns to express thanks for Her Majesty’s reign, faith and service. The service will include a new Anthem by Judith Weir, Master of The Queen’s Music, which sets to music words from the third chapter of the Book of Proverbs.

On Saturday, global music stars including Queen and Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andrea Bocelli, Ella Eyre, Craig David and Duran Duran will perform some of their biggest hits. The show, which will take place on a 360-degree stage around the Queen Victoria Memorial, will be closed by the legendary Diana Ross. More than 22,000 people will attend, including more than 7,500 key workers, members of the Armed Forces, volunteers and charities.

The Jubilee weekend comes to a close on Sunday with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. With thousands of performers from across Britain and the Commonwealth, the Pageant will feature a giant dragon puppet the size of a double decker bus, corgis, acrobats, dancers and circus acts. The grand finale will feature 150 ‘national treasures’ including Ed Sheeran who, along with members of the viewing public invited to become part of the performance, will gather and pay tribute to The Queen.

In addition to the events taking place in London, organised by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with Buckingham Palace, the Government has also extended licensing hours so people can celebrate the Jubilee in pubs and bars across England and Wales.

To mark the occasion eight UK towns were granted city status. These are Bangor in Northern Ireland, Colchester, Doncaster and Milton Keynes in England, Douglas in the Isle of Man, Dunfermline in Scotland, Stanley in the Falkland Islands and Wrexham in Wales.

The competition for city status has taken place in each of the last three Jubilee years. Previous winners include Chelmsford in England, Lisburn in Northern Ireland and Perth in Scotland. Southampton was also granted lord mayoralty status which entitles the mayor to be known as the lord mayor.

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Days-long bash to celebrate queen’s 70-year reign

The jubilee is an opportunity for the royals to demonstrate their commitment to change and diversity, something the queen has embodied as she traveled the world over the last 70 years, said Emily Nash, royal editor of HELLO! magazine…reports Asian Lite News

Britain is getting ready for a party featuring mounted troops, solemn prayers — and a pack of dancing mechanical corgis.

The nation will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne this week with four days of pomp and pageantry in central London. But behind the brass bands, street parties and a planned appearance by the aging queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace lies a drive to show that the royal family still remains relevant after seven decades of change.

“The monarchy is not elected, so the only way in which a monarch can demonstrate consent is not through the ballot box, but through people turning out on the streets,” said Robert Lacey, the historical adviser on “The Crown″ series. “And if the monarch turns up on the balcony and waves and there’s no one there, that’s a pretty definitive judgment on the monarchy.

“Well, when it comes to Elizabeth, the opposite has been the case. People can’t wait to mass and cheer together,” he added.

And the royals, sometimes criticized as out of touch with modern Britain, want to show that their support comes from all parts of a society that has become more multicultural amid immigration from the Caribbean, South Asia and Eastern Europe.

As part of the jubilee pageant, dancers from London’s African-Caribbean community will don costumes of giant flamingos, zebras and giraffes to re-imagine the moment in 1952 when Princess Elizabeth learned she had become queen while visiting a game park in Kenya. Another group will recall the queen’s 1947 marriage to Prince Philip and celebrate weddings around the Commonwealth with Bollywood-style dancing.

The jubilee is an opportunity for the royals to demonstrate their commitment to change and diversity, something the queen has embodied as she traveled the world over the last 70 years, said Emily Nash, royal editor of HELLO! magazine.

“She’s been everywhere and she has engaged with people from all walks of life, from all creeds and colors and faiths,” Nash said. “I think it’s easy to see, in the sort of pomp and pageantry, perhaps more of a lack of diversity. But if you look at what the royal family actually do, the people they engage with, the places they go to, I think it’s perhaps a little unfair to say that it’s not as diverse as it could be.”

If the depleted stock at the Cool Britannia gift shop is any indication, the jubilee has caught public attention. The shop around the corner from Buckingham Palace has run out of Platinum Jubilee tea towels. Spoons are sparse. Mugs are in short supply.

And it’s not just foreign tourists who are buying all things Elizabeth. Visitors from around the U.K. are also hunting for jubilee mementos, said Ismayil Ibrahim, the man behind the counter.

“It’s a very special year,” he said. “They’re celebrating it as a big event.”

The question for the House of Windsor is whether the public will transfer their love for the queen to her son and heir, Prince Charles, when the time comes.

It is a problem that stems, in part, from the queen’s unprecedented reign, the longest in British history. The only monarch most people have ever known, she has become synonymous with the monarchy itself.

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Ajay Piramal receives honorary British award from Queen

Expressing his thoughts on the award, Piramal said, “I am humbled and honoured to receive this honorary award from Her Majesty The Queen…reports Asian Lite News

Ajay Piramal, Chairman of the Piramal Group, has received an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) award from Queen Elizabeth II. He received the award for his services to the UK-India trade relationship as the Indian Co-Chair of the UK-India CEO Forum.

Piramal had contributed to the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting in London in 2019, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018, and the visit of the UK Prime Minister to India in 2016. “Piramal has also helped shape policy on labour mobility, setting up a fast-track mechanism for Indian investments in the UK, and the on corporate tax in India,” the British Deputy High Commission said in a statement.

Expressing his thoughts on the award, Piramal said, “I am humbled and honoured to receive this honorary award from Her Majesty The Queen. As cochair of India-UK CEO forum since 2016, the endeavor has been to help strengthen the strong bilateral relations between the two countries through greater economic co-operation.”

Alan Gemmell, Elizabeth’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia and British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, said, “ I visited Piramal Pharma Solution’s world-leading antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) manufacturing facility near Edinburgh earlier this year, to see their investment to expand the facility and create around 50 new highly skilled jobs. It is an honour to see Ajay’s vast contribution over so many years marked in this way.”

The Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) is awarded for having a prominent role at national level.

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Queen attends Jubilee celebration after health concerns

The queen on Friday spent almost an hour at the Royal Windsor Horse Show at the same venue, in an increasingly rare public appearance…reports Asian Lite News

A smiling Queen Elizabeth II attended a Platinum Jubilee celebration at Windsor on Sunday, days after ill health and old age forced her to pull out of the opening of the UK parliament for the first time in nearly 60 years.

The 96-year-old monarch used a walking stick to make her way to the royal box at the show, entitled “A Gallop Through History”, near her Windsor Castle home west of London.

The audience gave the queen a standing ovation at the star-studded equestrian extravaganza, led by Hollywood actors Tom Cruise and Helen Mirren.

The queen on Friday spent almost an hour at the Royal Windsor Horse Show at the same venue, in an increasingly rare public appearance.

The queen last week did not open parliament, the first time she has missed the event since 1963.

Officials blamed her absence on “episodic mobility problems” — understood to be difficulties walking and standing — that have dogged her since last year.

An unscheduled overnight hospital stay last October and frailty have seen her withdraw from a string of public engagements.

She was last seen in public at the end of March, at the Westminster Abbey memorial service for her late husband, Prince Philip.

At that event, she used a walking stick and required assistance to get to her seat.

Her dwindling appearances, plus a bout of Covid earlier this year, have fuelled concerns for her health in her record-breaking 70th year on the throne.

Four days of public celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee are planned for early June, including military parades and a public pageant, as well as picnics and a pop concert.

Her eldest son Prince Charles, 73, stood in at the state opening of parliament, in the clearest sign yet that her reign is coming to a close.

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Prince Charles steps in to deliver Queen’s Speech

Charles opened the Speech, which is prepared by the government of the day, with a focus on the priority issue of addressing the cost-of-living crisis…reports Asian Lite News

In what is seen as a defining moment for the British monarchy, Prince Charles stepped in to deliver the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday to mark the ceremonial state opening of the UK’s new Parliament session.

The speech, which sets the government’s legislative agenda for the year ahead, is traditionally delivered by the monarch. But with 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II experiencing some mobility issues, her 73-year-old son and heir was deputed to read out the agenda to a gathering of members of Parliament and peers of the House of Lords.

The Queen, who missed the event for the first time in nearly 60 years, reportedly watched proceedings on a television from her Windsor Castle residence.

Before now, the Queen has only missed the opening of Parliament twice during her time on the throne in 1959 and 1963 when she was pregnant.

The ceremony, however, was adjusted to highlight that the Queen is still very much in charge, as reflected in the presence of the imperial crown placed on a seat next to Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

He was accompanied by wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and son Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, at the Palace of Westminster.

Charles opened the Speech, which is prepared by the government of the day, with a focus on the priority issue of addressing the cost-of-living crisis.

“Her Majesty’s government will level up opportunity in all parts of the country and support more people into work,” he said.

This year’s Speech contained 38 bills and draft bills, covering subjects including energy security, carbon emissions and post-Brexit economic arrangements.

“Her Majesty’s government will continue to champion international trade, delivering jobs across the country and growing the economy. Legislation will be introduced to enable the implementation of the United Kingdom’s first new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) since leaving the European Union,” the Speech read, with reference to FTAs clinched with Australia and New Zealand.

One bill also proposes tougher penalties for protest groups, like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, which use disruptive tactics. MPs and peers will now spend several days debating the contents of the Queen’s Speech in Parliament.

While British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the government could not “shield everyone” from the effect of global inflation, the Opposition Labour Party said the Conservatives were “not up to the task of growing the economy”.

The Liberal Democrats added that the Queen’s Speech “does nothing to help the millions of families and pensioners facing soaring bills and eye watering inflation”.

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