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.
Prince Charles flanked by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, delivers a speech during the Platinum Party at Buckingham Palace as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations. Photo: AFP
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 outside Buckingham Palace. As images of Elizabeth's reign were displayed onto the walls, Charles, 73, said the Jubilee had given the country the chance to say thank you.
"Your majesty, you have been with us in our difficult times. And you bring us together to celebrate moments of pride, joy and happiness," Charles told the crowd of 22,000 people, with millions more watching on television.
"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. You pledged to serve your whole life - you continue to deliver. That is why we are here," he added, referring to the queen as "mummy".
Elizabeth herself was not present, having missed a number of Jubilee events 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. Queen's We Will Rock You then opened the show, with other performers including the cast of Hamilton, Alicia Keys and Diana Ross.
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, with a National Service of Thanksgiving on Friday.
Speaking to the crowd at Saturday's show, Charles praised his mother and acknowledged another absentee - 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."
The Queen stands with, from left, Prince Charles, Prince Louis, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William of Cambridge, to watch a flypast from Buckingham Palace balcony as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations, in London on 2 June 2022. Photo: AFP
Soft power
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 II and with Winston Churchill as prime minister.
In total, there have been 14 prime ministers and 14 US 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.
Polls suggest a comfortable majority believe the monarchy should remain. A recent Ipsos survey put support for the queen at nine out of 10 respondents. But Charles is less popular and support among the young is waning.
Supporters see the queen as a source of soft power in the world and a stabilising factor: a bridge between the nation's past and its present.
As Charles delivered his tribute, projections of the queen, which he had selected, were beamed onto the walls of the palace.
These included a carriage ride with former South African President Nelson Mandela during his 1996 state visit and her famous 2012 handshake with former IRA guerrilla commander Martin McGuinness, who later became the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland.
Sunday will mark the final day of the celebrations, when singer Ed Sheeran will join some 10,000 performers and the armed forces for a parade which will trace a route similar to that taken by the queen on her coronation.
- Reuters