- johnny diamond
- Royal Family Correspondent – BBC News
2 hours ago
The gilded royal chariot is the centerpiece of Britain’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
It’s hard to ignore the gilded royal chariot, an important symbol, during celebrations of the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne.
The carriage, notoriously uncomfortable, will be the centerpiece of the festivities at their peak – and will pass the coronation route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace on Sunday.
The 250-year-old carriage weighs four tons and is ornately carved and luxuriously gilded, reminiscent of riches and long-standing glory, and Britain’s dominance of continents and oceans.
The Queen rode it for her wedding, during her coronation, dozens of official opening ceremonies of Parliament, and the Silver and Golden Jubilee Parades. But this jubilee will be empty.
The carriage is driven by eight Windsor Gray horses, and the only reason to stare at them is because of their magnificent sculptures.
The Queen will not be seen there, as is the case with many events this jubilee.
In 1977, her Silver Jubilee year, the Queen visited 36 different counties in the United Kingdom, as well as nine Commonwealth countries.
A quarter of a century later, the golden jubilee was marked by national and international tours. A decade later, in 2012, the Queen left international travel to other members of the royal family, while she toured the UK.
picture released, WPA Pool
Prince Charles represented the Queen at the Parliament Opening Ceremony.
This year is very different. All that the palace will say is that the Queen “hopes” to attend the various events and celebrations held in her honor.
The movement problems which now confound her, after a long life of activity, ruled her out of most of the events. She has also been seen in public only a few times in the past six months.
And if the Queen is seen all this jubilee, it will most likely be on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
It will be difficult to overlook her absence from the celebrations, after more than seven decades of service during which she gave so much.
And her absence won’t be the only noticeable one during this jubilee, as her husband Prince Philip, who quietly supported her throughout her reign, is gone. This is the first major royal celebration to happen without him.
Prince Andrew, whose friendship with a convicted sex offender and subsequent legal battles have been tarnished, will not be seen beside his mother on the palace balcony. Nor will Prince Harry, who dramatically left the country for the United States two years ago.
Front and center, instead, will be her son and heir.
Prince Charles was the most senior member of the royal family at the memorial ceremony in London on Sunday late last year.
picture released, Getty Images
In a purely British way, a period of transition began silently and unannounced.
It was Prince Charles who read the Queen’s address at the official opening of Parliament earlier this month.
The past six months have witnessed three major royal celebrations, military, religious and constitutional.
And the transition began in the most British way possible – without announcement, without fanfare, and in silence.
The Silver Jubilee of 1977 was an opportunity to pause and reflect, and begin a long period of time ahead, to look back and forward. The golden jubilee of 2002 was a reset after a decade of storms of scandal, divorce and missteps.
And in 2012, the Diamond Jubilee was a reaffirmation of the Queen’s place in the nation’s sentiments.
This platinum jubilee will be different. Because it is the jubilee of farewell.
This is not the case with the Queen herself. Insiders say she is in good health, except for her mobility issues. Nor for the Queen as sovereign. There is no indication of any formal change in the constitutional role.
But this weekend the Queen bids farewell to seven decades of public service to the nation, and her presence at the official events that mark the public sphere each year.
A return to state festivities seems unlikely. And when the Queen is now seen, it will be in events closer to her private passions than to her public duties.
This era is coming to an end. With this jubilee, the nation has the opportunity to celebrate it with thanksgiving.