Rock band Queen, Paddington Bear kick off Jubilee concert

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II could need to miss a star-studded London live performance in her honor Saturday, however she introduced the home down when she appeared in a shock video recorded with one other British nationwide treasure: Paddington Bear.

The 96-year-old monarch stated she shared Paddington’s love of marmalade sandwiches in a shock video, delighting hundreds who gathered outdoors Buckingham Palace for the third day of a Platinum Jubilee extravaganza marking her 70 years on the throne.

Rock band Queen and Adam Lambert kicked off the open-air present outdoors the palace, and Alicia Keys, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart and opera singer Andrea Bocelli will comply with. Diana Ross will shut the present together with her first U.Okay. reside efficiency in 15 years.

Prince Charles and Prince William, the queen’s son and grandson, will deal with a reside viewers of twenty-two,000 and hundreds of thousands extra watching on tv.

The queen has had issues transferring round recently, which the palace describes as “episodic mobility points,” limiting her public appearances in current months. However her absence on the live performance didn’t dampen the social gathering environment among the many crowds.

“It’s a magical expertise … (That is) by no means once more going to occur in our lifetime, and it’s simply completely unimaginable to be part of this,” stated Sam Ahcquoim, from Cornwall in southwestern England. “I’ve been actually, actually excited and simply can’t wait to get in there now and begin dancing.”

The sovereign additionally opted to not attend the Epsom Derby on Saturday. As a substitute, she was represented on the prestigious annual horse race by her daughter, Princess Anne, who appeared within the royal field together with her household as crowds cheered.

The queen is broadly often known as an avid horse lover, and she or he has solely missed the Epsom Derby a handful of instances. On Saturday, 5 of her former racehorses had been paraded, and 40 jockeys who’ve ridden for the queen shaped a guard of honor earlier than the nationwide anthem was performed.

“She’s been breeding horses for over 60 years. She is aware of all of the blood traces and she or he’s received numerous races and she or he’s very educated,” Frankie Dettori, who lined a part of the course with fellow jockeys, informed the BBC.

“I’m positive right now she’ll discover a TV and she or he’s going to observe it reside, as a result of she loves the Derby a lot,” he added.

It was the second time in as many days that the queen’s mobility points have robbed crowds of an opportunity to see her.

On Friday, the queen skipped a particular service of Thanksgiving in her honor at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Palace officers stated she had skilled “some discomfort” at occasions the day earlier than, which included waving to large crowds from Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry and his spouse, Meghan, had been amongst practically 50 members of the royal household who gathered Friday at St. Paul’s to honor the absent head of state. It was the couple’s first public look within the U.Okay. since they stepped again from royal duties and moved to California two years in the past.

Aside from attending Friday’s service, the couple has thus far stayed out of the limelight. Their two kids, Archie and Lilibet, who turned one Saturday, have not but made an look throughout this journey. A spokesperson for the couple stated they’d not be becoming a member of some 30 different members of the royal household at Saturday’s live performance and had been spending the day “privately.”

In the meantime, different members of the royal household travelled to Wales and Northern Eire as a part of celebrations throughout the U.Okay.

William and his spouse Kate introduced two of their three kids — 8-year-old Prince George and 7-year-old Princess Charlotte — to Cardiff Fortress in Wales earlier than a separate live performance within the fort grounds in honor of the queen.

The queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward, and his spouse Sophie, Countess of Wessex, visited a Nineteen Fifties-themed seaside funfair in Belfast. Edward tried his hand at pulling a pint of Guinness at a diner, whereas Sophie took in a ‘50s and ’60s dance demonstration.

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Observe AP’s protection of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii

Sylvia Hui And Danica Kirka, The Related Press