Queen Mum's pageant joyous, informal

DYLAN MARTINEZ / Reuters

The Queen Mother enjoys applause from the 7,000 well-wishers who took part in a pageant in London yesterday to mark her coming 100th birthday on Aug.4.

 

Royalty, commoners and Corgis revel in 100th birthday celebrations, undaunted by bomb threats that disrupt and subways

ALAN FREEMAN

European Bureau, London

Thursday, July 20, 2000 - Page A3

Undeterred by suspected terrorist threats, the Queen Mother was feted yesterday with a giant 100th-birthday pageant that was attended by 7,000 participants, including hundreds of children, other royalty, Highland pipers, bewigged judges, doves, horse and even her two pet Corgis.

Showing characteristic stamina, the Queen Mother obviously took huge enjoyment in the 90-minute spectacle on Horse Guards Parade in central London. She stood for long periods and bantered with her grandson, the Prince of Wales. Dressed in a vibrant pink outfit and matching hat, she mounted the steps to the flower-decked viewing stand for the pageant without assistance, although she has had two hip replacements.

Even the weather co-operated, treating London to its first warm, sunny day in weeks and providing a dramatic backdrop for the 100 doves that were released during the celebration and for a fly-past by vintage Second World War aircraft. Although there was a large military presence in the pageant, it was primarily a civilian event. Thousands of ordinary people, representatives of 170 charities of which the Queen Mother is patron, filed past in costumes, on floats and even on the backs of camels.

It was informal, joyous affair with none of the curtsying and formalities common in royal ceremonies. Most of the participants simply waved as they passed the reviewing stand.

Notable participants, beside several members of the Royal Family, ranged from actress Jerry Hall, who dressed outlandishly as the Goddess Flora, to Sir Ronnie Flanagan, chief constable of Northern Ireland's beleaguered Royal Ulster Constabulary, who was part of a parade of of 21 surviving holders of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross. The Queen Mother, who is just two weeks short of her centenary, was obviously moved by the depth of feeling on display. "I would just like to say a heartfelt thank-you to all those who have come from far and near to take part in this lovely parade," she said in a strong clear voice.

The show, six months in the planning, continued even though London traffic was disrupted all day by the early-morning discovery of a suspicious device along a rail line in West London. A bomb squad exploded the device without injury, but the incident disrupted train and subway services. Peter Mandelson, the Secretary for Northern Ireland, linked the device to dissident paramilitaries opposed to the Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland. More bomb threats, made later in the day, closed four subway stations and three rail stations and another suspicious package was blown up near the pageant site just before it began. But the package turned out to be a bag left accidentally by a member of the public.

The pageant began with a formal military march that included soldiers on horseback in full military regalia, plus representatives of the 19 British and Commonwealth regiments which the Queen Mother is Colonel-in-Chief - including three from Canada. The Toronto Scottish Regiment, Montreal's Black Watch Regiment and the Canadian Forces Medical Services were all represented in the in the parade.

The Toronto Scottish Regiment brought their pipe band. "It was an absolutely tremendous day. There are no words to describe it." Lieutenant-Colonel Julian Chapman, commanding officer the Toronto Scottish, said after the pageant. "I had to hold back tears on several occasions." Colonel Chapman, a reservist who is a business consultant when he is not commanding the regiment, said the Queen Mother is of immense symbolic importance to the Toronto Scottish. "Of the 67 years of the regiment, she has been Colonel-in-Chief for 63 years," he noted. Later last night, he and about a dozen other members of the Canadian regiments were invited to a reception for about 500 people at St. James palace. The Queen Mother and several other members of the Royal Family attended. Although it had been a long day, the Queen Mother was spry and eager to greet members of the regiment, speaking at length to two members of the band. "She asked me, 'How is your regiment?' and I said her regiment was fine," Col. Chapman said. Hugh Stewart, Honorary Colonel of the Toronto Scottish, said the regiment has "a very close affinity for her. We've been blessed with eight or nine visits from her to Canada and every time we've been involved with these visits." Col. Stewart said he has met the Queen Mother on numerous occasions since he acted Aide-de-Camp during her 1965 visit to Canada. The regiment has asked for permission to be renamed The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Own), and a positive response is expected soon.

Royal-watchers and tourists began arriving before noon yesterday along The Mall, hoping to spot what they could of the pageant, although the main event was a ticket-only affair. Supermarket employees Marilyn Ireson and Elizabeth Moisey took a day off work and travelled from Peterborough, north of London, for the event. "We're Queen Mother fans and royalists. We came for her 99th and all the weddings," said Ms. Ireson as she tippled gin and tonic in honour of the Queen Mother (who prefers her gin mixed with Dubonnet). "We just hope she'll last till Aug. 4," Ms. Moisey added, referring to the Queen Mother's actual birthday. Mary Locke, a 23 year old student university student Walkerton, Ont., travelled over especially from Dublin, where she is working for the summer. "I think she's a great lady, for sure, and to be doing all these appearances at her age," Ms. Locke said as she clutched a tiny Maple Leaf flag.