A
centennial celebration
Bomb threat, traffic chaos fail to dampen lively pageant
in honour of Queen Mum's 100th birthday
By Olivia Ward
Toronto Star European Bureau
LONDON
- It was Britain's biggest outpouring of affection for the royals
since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
In spite of bomb scares
causing transit chaos in London yesterday, nearly 21,000 guests
and participants took part in a giant celebration of the Queen Mother's
100th birthday: part tribute, part carnival, but wholly devoted
to the last of a vanishing breed of revered monarchs.
As the
Queen Mother arrived by carriage at her royal box in the Horseguards
Parade, thousands more Londoners and visitors lined the streets
around St. James Park to watch the royal festival.
``I just feel tremendously
honoured to be part of it,'' said Gene Kerrigan, a York Regional
Police inspector and member of the Toronto Scottish Regiment. ``It's
a proud moment for me, being part of this kind of tradition.''
In unusually soaring
temperatures, the Queen Mother showed her characteristic grit, insisting
on standing to review the 19 British and Commonwealth regiments
of which she is the honorary chief.
Wearing her signature
broad-brimmed hat and a flowing pink dress and coat, she smiled
as the troops paraded past her.
Earlier, the area near
the pageant was sealed off by police when a ``suspect package''
was destroyed. The package was not a bomb, but dissident Irish republican
terrorists were blamed for planting an explosive device on the morning
of the event, near Ealing Broadway station in West London.
Northern Ireland Secretary
Peter Mandelson told MPs in the House of Commons that the group
responsible used the same coded warning as the one telephoned at
the time of a recent attack on a railway line in Northern Ireland.
Security was massive
as the tribute began late yesterday afternoon. But the Queen Mother
was unruffled by the disruption caused by the bomb scares, which
bogged down London's traffic and transit system, forcing two of
the city's busiest rail stations to close during the day.
Throughout the 90-minute
event - which included a parade of racehorses, camels, dancers,
child actors, elderly pensioners, royal corgis and stars of stage
and screen - she looked relaxed, occasionally waving and nodding
to the crowd.
``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 told the crowd in
a clear voice, making a rare public speech.
``It has been a great
joy to be here. And the marchers, the children, my regiments, especially
the music - the excellent musicians have been a wonderful joy to
hear.
``I do hope you have
all enjoyed it as much as I have. It has been a wonderful evening
and I would just like to say, God bless you all and thank you.''
The music included a
solo by a boy soprano, who sang ``Oh for the Wings of a Dove,''
as 100 trained white doves were released into the air.
Showers of rose petals
rained down on the crowd - 1 million of them personally counted
by a member of Britain's Rose Society. But a giant inflatable birthday
cake that was to have harboured dozens of schoolchildren poised
to jump out in front of the Queen Mother, failed to materialize.
Earlier, there was laughter
when one of the camels sat down in the middle of the parade ground
and tried to shake off his rider.
Presentation of an enormous
birthday card signed by 8,000 participants, however, went without
a hitch.
The actual date of the
Queen Mother's birthday is Aug. 4, but celebrations began earlier
this month. On July 27 there will be more official tributes in Edinburgh.
The Queen Mother is the
only member of British royalty to reach the age of 100. Born when
Queen Victoria was on the throne, she won people's hearts as the
staunch, motherly figure who marched through the ruins of World
War II London, raising the spirits of the survivors.
She has been the most
loved of the royals, but the most distant in terms of media publicity,
refusing interviews and frowning on the loose-lipped members of
the family's younger generation.
``It's amazing how sharp
and focused she is,'' said Lt.-Col. Julian Chapman, commanding officer
of the Toronto Scottish regiment, who lunched with the Queen Mother
10 years ago during celebrations for her 90th birthday. ``She doesn't
miss a thing, and she is genuinely interested in the people she
talks to.''
The Queen Mother had
a special soft spot for Canada, he said, because it was the first
country she visited after her husband, George VI, became king.
Yesterday's event also
featured a spectacular massed choir performance of ``One Hundred
Years,'' a tribute composed for the birthday celebration that brought
tears to the eyes of the normally composed royal.
`She's still holding her head
up and smiling like a queen'
|
A handful of well-known actors and celebrities took part in the pageant,
including 92-year-old Sir John Mills, who gave a tribute speech from
a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. Model Jerry Hall, the ex-wife of Mick
Jagger, paraded in an elaborate flower-strewn costume, in advance
of a nude appearance in a new London production of The Graduate.
The Queen Mother watched
with amusement as hundreds of members of the charities she sponsors
joined a lively musical performance running through each decade
of her 100 years.
An ambulance from World
War I reminded the Queen Mother of the days when she nursed wounded
soldiers as a teenager and a flypast of a rare World War II Bristol
Blenheim plane recalled the London blitz, when Hitler called the
popular, patriotic young queen ``the most dangerous woman in Europe.''
``It's really a people's
event,'' said royal biographer Robert Lacey.
Yesterday the crowds
gathered in London's Whitehall made it clear why the day was a success.
``She really is a grand
old dame,'' said Arthur Yarrow, a retired West Country farmer. ``She's
seen a lot of them come and go, and she's still holding her head
up and smiling like a queen. She has guts.''
|
|
|
|
Click
here to return to my home page
|
|
|
| 
