Essential to the image of the British royal family for more than a century and a half, the balcony of Buckingham Palace will once again focus all eyes this week during the “platinum jubilee” celebrations.
(Read: The day Elizabeth II fell asleep as a princess and woke up as a queen)
For this historic celebration of her 70-year reign, Elizabeth II, 96, decided that only members of the royal family who “work” for the monarchy can come out to greet the crowd on Thursday, during the traditional “Parade of the Banner” that will open the celebrations.
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In total, there will be 18 people, much less than on previous occasions, on the occasion of major events such as royal weddings. This excludes Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who have distanced themselves from the royals but will travel to the UK from California where they live with their two children.
It will also leave out Prince Andrew, the monarch’s third son, deprived of any official function as a result of some accusations of sexual assault on a minor in the United States, from which he got rid in March by paying several million dollars to his accuser.
After two difficult years for the royal family, the balcony, which is dressed in red and gold for special occasions, should not be the scene of any tension.
the showcase
With the years, the balcony became the showcase of the British monarchy. It was Queen Victoria who inaugurated this way of greeting her subjects in 1851, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition.
Seven years later, the family appeared on the balcony for the wedding of their eldest daughter, Princess Victoria. Since then, the balcony has marked all the great moments of the royal family. On August 4, 1914, the crowd asked to see George V when the United Kingdom had just declared war on Germany.
In November 1918, thousands of Londoners cheered the kings after the armistice of the First World War. Then came the royal weddings, the jubilees, the coronations… In 1935, a 9-year-old Princess Elizabeth waved to the crowds on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of her grandfather George V’s reign.
Two years later, he again waved from the balcony for his father George VI’s coronation. On May 8, 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill celebrated the Allied victory against the Nazis there with the royal family.
Princess Elizabeth stepped out again in 1947 for her marriage to Prince Philip and then, as queen, for her coronation in 1953. Nothing is left to chance in these high-profile appearances: the queen, center, is traditionally dressed in Bright colours, the men in the first circle are dressed in military uniform and the women in sophisticated hats.
Some have taken liberties and daring, as when Prince Charles and Princess Diana shared a kiss after their wedding in 1981, later copied by Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and later by Prince William and Catherine.
However, it is not the image of the family that matters, but that of the monarchy. “The queen has privileged throughout her reign the royal over family and personal considerations,” explains Marc Roche, author of several books on the monarchy.
For her it is essential to project the monarchy on the balcony, not the family
The monarch, who has difficulty walking, could appear there on Thursday after the parade, during a flyover by 70 Royal Air Force planes.
But he could also make a second balcony appearance on Sunday with his three heirs, 8-year-old Princes Charles, William and George, according to The Mirror newspaper.
At a time when the succession is being prepared, she “wants the world to see her family’s heart beat and the future of the monarchy,” the newspaper says. Unless her health thwarts those plans.
“If we don’t see the queen during the jubilee, millions of people will be disappointedArthur Edwards, who has photographed her since 1977 for The Sun newspaper, told AFP. “They come to London for the concert and the party, but what they really want to see is the queen,” he concludes.
AFP
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