Today was the final day of HM's 90th Birthday Celebrations. The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, attended The Patron's Lunch on The Mall. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended a regional lunch at Gloucestershire to mark the celebrations that are taking place nationally.
Her Majesty The Queen was joined by members of the Royal Family to celebrate the occasion. Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry resided as Joint-Presidents of The Patron’s Lunch; honouring the dedication shown by Her Majesty to so many charities and organisations. They were accompanied by The Duchess of Cambridge.
courtesy of Emily Andrews, The Sun via Twitter feed.
I was very!!! happy to see TRH's Earl and Countess of Wessex with their 12 year old daughter, Lady Louise. For Louise it was first such 'solo' walkabout, and she must have felt very nervous, but everyone, literally everyone said she did a great job and that it was a very brave thing for her to do. Worry not, she was also protected by Matt of HRH's office. Those who were at The Mall should spot him from the far distance as he is extremely tall! :-)
I liked very much this comment from my friend, who said: "Wow Lady Louise is really coming into her own, such poise and confidence at 12! She will go a long way". Should I add more? She has a great example in her parents and she is a wonderful asset to the royal family. I see a bright future for this lovely Lady.
Since I am writing about The Wessex family, I also wanted to share this snap of Sophie that was kindly sent to me by my blog reader, Morwenna, as HRH kindly posed for a photo with her and her sister, Jenna. I also *almost* sent my best wishes to The Countess through Morwenna, but she and her sister were interrupted by some lady in a crowd. Next time perhaps!
I'm sure some of you are wondring where was Viscount James and why he didn't attend, it turns out, he missed today's event as he was invited to his friend's birthday. Info courtesy of Emily Andrews via her Twitter.
via Hannah Kentish Twitter feed - UK Youth Commissioner of UK Scouting / Scouts (Volunteer)
The Duke of York arrived on foot with his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Also present was Princess Royal with her husband Sir Timothy Laurence and daughter Zara Phillips accompanied by her husband, Mike Tindall; Prince and Princess Michael of Kent; Lady Sarah Chatto with family, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and event organiser, Peter Phillips, HM's grandson, with his wife, Autumn.
via Suzy Lishman - President of the Royal College of Pathologists - Twitter feed
The Mall in St James’s Park has been transformed (over night) for its largest ever street party to celebrate The Queen’s patronage of over 600 charities and organisations on the occasion of her 90th birthday. The weather was horrid, but magically improved when HM appeared!
The Patron’s Lunch was the climax to a fantastic weekend of celebrations that begun with a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 10th June followed by Trooping the Colour on Saturday 11th June and culminating in The Patron’s Lunch as the celebratory finale today.
The Patron’s Lunch was truly an iconic event recognising the un-relenting support and service GB's Monarch has given to the community over her 63 year reign. And it is this commitment to helping others that is cause for a National and Commonwealth wide celebration, with the very people she has helped over the decades being at the centre of this event.
This event provided a very special opportunity for all who have been touched by Her Majesty The Queen to publicly thank her and to be proud of the work and service that their own charity or organisation has provided to this nation or those nations across the Commonwealth.
Before the parade started, Prince William made a speech, after him it was The Queen addressing guests by saying: “To everyone here today, and to those holding street parties elsewhere, I would like to say thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you continue to give me.
I hope these happy celebrations will remind us of the many benefits that can flow when people come together for a common purpose, as families, friends, or neighbours. And I pay tribute to the commitment, selfless devotion and generosity-of-spirit shown by the hundreds of charities and voluntary organisations represented here today. You are an example to us all.
I much appreciate the kindness of all your birthday wishes, and have been delighted and moved by the many cards and messages I have received. How I will feel if people are still singing “Happy Birthday” to me in December, remains to be seen!" It's that final remark that shows HM's great sense of humour.
The festivities, organised by the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips, included a carnival parade and a lavish picnic spread provided by Marks and Spencer. In the procession of dancers and marching bands, different eras of the Queen's reign were celebrated in turn.
A giant puppet version of the Royal Yacht Britannia - much loved and missed by the Queen - could be seen - and later a performer in a large Gruffalo suit - one of Prince George and Princess Charlotte's favourite characters.
I absolutely loved the finale, I think Queen as well, as she clapped seeing Darcey Bussell dancing in front of a gigantic handbag in style of HM's favourite brand, Launer. The crowd joined in with a rendition of Happy Birthday - with the royals, followed by three cheers for the monarch. It had me in tears. It was a wonderful tribute to HM. Well done to Peter Phillips and the team that organised the event.
For more images visit Zimbio gallery, click here; more info in Daily Mail can be found here, Express coverage is here. I will see you all again tomorrow, as it's The Order of Garter service at Windsor, which will be attended by TRH's.
I am leaving you with one more pic courtesy of Jenna, she and her sister made me very happy, sending their pictures and chatting to me directly from the Mall! My very kind thank you to you girls! PS. They were both sporting Kiki earrings inspired by The Duchess of Cambridge :-) Outfit & jewellery: Black shirt & crop cardigan by DVF. Alaïa Gray Parfum Dress. Though with different neckline. Black & white pearl earrings - wedding gift from Prinnce Edward. GIANVITO ROSSI Bari 85 patent-leather court shoes in pale pink. New to me, Sophie Habsburg clutch bag, "In & Out". Close up courtesy of Jenna.
0 comments:
Post a Comment