It was up to the members of the British royal family to reinforce the tributes to Queen Elizabeth II this Saturday (4), the third and penultimate day of commemoration of the Platinum Jubilee, which marks the 70 years of the monarch’s reign. The queen, who is 96 years old and claimed mobility-related discomforts, did not attend the events.
A fan of horse racing, Elizabeth did not attend the 243rd Epsom Derby, one of the UK’s most traditional equestrian events. She was left with Princess Anne, 71, the task of representing her mother – she, by the way, also enjoys the equestrian world and even participated in the 1979 Olympics in Montreal, in the British equestrian team.
The Animal Rebellion group, linked to the animal cause, has resumed protests. This time, during the Derby, six women entered the track carrying banners with the phrase “animal justice”. They demand an end to horse racing and all forms of animal exploitation. But the episode, publicized on the group’s social media, seems to have had little prominence on the third day of the Platinum Jubilee celebration.
Later, Prince Charles and Prince William – the Queen’s son and grandson and, respectively, first and second in line to the throne – are due to honor the Queen during a concert for some 22,000 people at Buckingham Palace in London. .
About 8,000 participants will be employees of key sectors during the Covid pandemic, members of the Armed Forces and volunteers from charities, invited as a way of thanking for the services provided during the health crisis. Nearly 179,000 people have died as a result of Covid in the country.
The event will feature, among others, American singers Alicia Keys and Diana Ross, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and British singer Rod Stewart. Singer Elton John will send a recorded performance in honor of the monarch once he is on tour.
“I’ve had the honor of seeing the Queen many times throughout my life,” Ross said earlier. “She continues to be an incredible inspiration to so many people around the world.”
The two-hour show, which will be broadcast on the public BBC network, will be opened by the band Queen & Adam Lambert. The organizers hope that the performance will remain in the memory of the British as well as that of guitarist Brian May on the roof of Buckingham Palace twenty years ago, during the Golden Jubilee – five decades on the throne – of Elizabeth II.
The Platinum Jubilee celebrations began on Thursday (2), when Elizabeth accompanied, from the traditional balcony of Buckingham Palace, a military parade that brought together about 1,500 British soldiers and officers. Smiling, holding a cane and wearing the light blue outfit worn in the official Jubilee photo, she waved to those present.
On Friday (3), in turn, the Queen accompanied the celebrations remotely, from Windsor Castle. At a thanksgiving service at St. Paul in London, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, paid tribute to the monarch with metaphors.
He compared the reign of the head of state to the Grand National, famous and long horse race with a course full of obstacles. “But with perseverance in times of change and challenge, joy and sadness, you continue to offer yourself in the service of our country and the Commonwealth. [Comunidade Britânica, que reúne antigas colônias].”
On Sunday (5), the last day of the festivities, the celebration is spread across the entire UK territory: more than 60,000 people, according to official figures, signed up to hold the “Big Jubilee Lunches”, with street events ranging from competitions for the most extensive party to backyard barbecues.
According to the royal family’s official platforms, more than 600 of these lunches are expected to be held outside the country, in nations such as Canada, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa and also Brazil.
