British hail ‘Elizabeth the Great’ at Diamond Jubilee
From left: the Duchess of Cornwall, Britain's Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William stand on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in central london Tuesday June 5, 2012. Four days of nationwide celebrations during which millions of people have turned out to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee conclude on Tuesday with a church service and carriage procession through central london. (AP Photo/Stefan Wermuth, Pool)
Royal Air Force Red Arrows fly past Buckingham Palace as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, with other members of the royal family appear on the balcony in central london, Tuesday, June 5, 2012, to conclude the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne. (AP Photo/lefteris Pitarakis)
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, center, accompanied by Prince Charles, 2nd left Camilla Duchess if Cornwall, left, Prince William, 3rd right, Kate Duchess of Cambridge. 2nd right, and Prince Harry, appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in central london, Tuesday, June 5, 2012, to conclude the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne. (AP Photo/lefteris Pitarakis)
Crowds gather near the gates og Buckingham Palace in london to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee as the royal family stood on the balcony Tuesday June 5, 2012. Pealing church bells and crowds cheering "God save the queen!" greeted Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday as she arrived for a service at St. Paul's Cathedral on the last of four days of Diamond Jubilee celebrations honoring her 60 years on the throne. (AP Photo/Steve Parsons/Pool)
Revelers on the Mall in london watch Britain Queen Elizabeth II appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony as part of a four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II accession to the throne, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)
LONDON – Britain Tuesday ended four days of national celebrations to mark the 60-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, tinged only by regret over the absence of Prince Philip, who was ill in hospital.
A solemn thanksgiving service in St Paul’s Cathedral, described as the “spiritual finale” to the long weekend of celebrations, was followed Tuesday by scenes of jubilation in the streets of London.
Hundreds of thousands converged on the parks and roads surrounding Buckingham Palace to cheer a carriage procession along The Mall, the royal avenue, and a traditional balcony appearance by the royal family.
Commentators said the scale of the celebrations, during which people of all ages braved cold and damp weather to pay homage to the queen, had been “remarkable.”
Comparing the outpouring of popular affection to previous celebrations, the BBC’s royal commentator, Nicholas Witchell, said: “The royal family is clearly more united, more at ease among themselves and with the country.”
The queen, 86, is only the second monarch in history to mark a Diamond Jubilee. Queen Victoria, her great-great grandmother reigned for 64 years.
“Elizabeth the Great,” read some of the posters. “She’s a diamond,” said another.
In a video message posted on the White House website, U.S. President Barack Obama conveyed the “heartfelt congratulations of the American people” to the queen.
“While many presidents and prime ministers have come and gone, your majesty’s reign has endured,” said Obama. “May the light of your majesty’s crown continue to reign supreme for many years to come.”
However, the absence of Prince Philip was keenly felt throughout Tuesday. It was the first time that the Duke of Edinburgh, the queen’s husband for nearly 65 years, was not at her side during a milestone event.
The palace announced Monday, just hours before a massive pop concert was held for the queen in front of Buckingham Palace, that the 90-year-old had been taken to hospital with a bladder infection.
At Christmas 2011, Prince Philip suffered a heart scare and was taken to hospital to have a coronary stent fitted.
After visiting him in hospital Tuesday, his son, Prince Edward, said his father was feeling “a lot better” and was making “good progress.” The duke had watched the proceedings on TV.
About 2,300 people attended the church service, led by Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, who praised the queen’s “selfless dedication” over six decades.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the celebrations over the past few days had demonstrated “the best of Britain.”
“We have seen the country come together with a sense of celebration and unity but also tremendous resilience,” he said.
Cameron was due to host a dinner later Tuesday for Commonwealth leaders who attended the celebrations.
The queen, clearly delighted by the affection shown for her, said in a special recorded message, to be distributed later Tuesday, that she had been “humbled” by the celebrations.
“The events that I have attended to mark my Diamond Jubilee have been a humbling experience … I hope that memories of all this year’s happy events will brighten our lives for many years to come.”
On Monday, veteran pop stars, including Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Elton John, played at a concert for the monarch outside Buckingham Palace.
A further highlight of the celebrations was a river pageant of more than a 1,000 boats on the Thames, during which both the queen and her husband stood up on the deck of the royal barge in cold temperatures and driving rain.
)2012 Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany)
Visit Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) at www.dpa.de/English.82.0.html
Distributed by MCT Information Services