UK: Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Party in full swing

The queen of England returned to her castle in Windsor, about thirty kilometers from London, after appearing on the balcony on Thursday.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. UT), in a precise ceremony, he touched with his gloved hand a small globe representing the Commonwealth countries, which instantly lit up, at Buckingham Palace, 40 kilometers away, a huge sculpture representing a tree. 21 meters high.

At the same time, 3,500 beacons were installed to illuminate the entire United Kingdom, from the walls of Edinburgh Castle to the four highest peaks in the country. Some witnesses came before, in 54 Commonwealth countries, depending on their time zones.

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An official lighthouse was created for the Jubilee: a large torch, also in the shape of a globe, surmounted by a crown. In slightly more rural areas, torches had to be replaced by bonfires, our London correspondent reports, Emelina Wine.

This torch lighting ceremony was going to be done to the sound of bagpipes, a song full of symbols of unity and communion having also been composed especially for the Jubilee, in a kingdom that has not always been very united lately, in a context of Brexit.

“She is what makes us proud to be British”

This Thursday, the festivities began with the military parade and the air parade, in the midst of an impressive crowd. Lorraine and two of her friends, who arrived at 8:30 am wearing festive hats and “Jubilee” t-shirts, couldn’t even get on the big screens to watch the festivities.

The three friends finally followed the ceremony on their phones. Lorraine:

We don’t miss any real events, and we’ve never seen so many people. I was even there at the coronation, though I was too young to remember! We usually come the day before and camp out on the street, but we get too old. Yes, we’re disappointed, but it’s not going to spoil our party.

Blocked too, Steve had been even more foresighted, bringing plaids, a picnic, and British flags to celebrate the queen.

She represents everything. It is she who makes us proud to be British. And then the amount of money that she brings into the country, and all the charity work that she does… She and the Royal Family do a lot for us.

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In the crowd: Londoners, Brits, but also many tourists, especially from Commonwealth countries. Elizabeth II continues to be symbolically, to this day, head of state in many of them, such as in Canada where there is no president. Mike traveled from Vancouver.

We love the Queen, I am a big fan of the Crown, we are not ready to give it up in Canada. Also, I love to people watch, so it’s a perfect experience for me.

“If it is William, the monarchy will survive”

The government speaks of “over 200,000 local events and block parties” across the UK over the four days. On the sidelines of the “flag salute” on Thursday, drums beat for hours as people waited to see a member of the royal family.

Questioned by our special correspondent in London, Clea BroadhurstCheryl, in her 60s, hopes that Elizabeth, who already holds the record for longevity once held by Victoria for a UK monarch, will stay a few more years as she intends to die on the throne.

My God, I hope she doesn’t give up, I hope she hangs on! She said that she would give her life and she just gave us 70 years of her life. So please, my God, be persistent! Because I think everything will change if Charles succeeds him. If he is William, the monarchy will survive. I think we have to make room for the younger generation, William is made for that.

The crowd cheered as Prince William, 39, rode past, dressed in his beloved red uniform and black headdress.

Nick, an Australian now living in London, is less enthusiastic. His country, despite its continental scale and its remoteness, also has no other head of state than the Queen of England.

It is good that they have come this far, but if there was a small revolution, I would support it. Australians, we are very relaxed, so we will not do anything until “Liz” is gone. But after that, I think we will become a Republic. The rest of the royal family doesn’t really interest us. No hurry ; obviously as long as the queen is there we are happy to be part of the commonwealth. But then… probably not.

The queen is celebrated with great fanfare until the end of the weekend. Many expect it to reach 100 years.

I think we have been very lucky in this country to have the Queen with us for so long. The day she leaves, those of my generation, and those who are a little older, will truly feel that the sky is falling on her head. All my life, she has been in the landscape. She was too young to remember her coronation but she looks fantastic and I hope these festivities go well.

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I am 68 years old, she has been on the throne longer than that! There were arrests during the parade, anti-monarchist demonstrators, Republicans… Really, since we are going through difficult times… Yes, a lot of money is spent on these events, when there is also poverty here. But what to do? Get rid of all that, the royal family? I think most British people are in favor of keeping the monarchy.

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►Platinum jubilee: weakened, Queen Elizabeth II does not consider abdication or regency