On the first weekend of June 2012, Britain widely celebrated the 60th anniversary of its queen's reign. On this Saturday and Sunday afternoon, London has become a huge festive venue. Thousands of Englishmen from other cities arrived in the capital to take part in this event.
Queen Elizabeth II is perhaps the most famous crowned special of our time. She is popular not only among her subjects, but all over the world. The date of the actual accession of the English monarch to the throne is February 6, 1952, when her father George VI died. However, the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of her reign were postponed to warmer summer.
At the beginning of June 2012, the capital of the kingdom was noticeably transformed: London was decorated and prepared for the celebrations. They lasted for 4 whole days, from 2 to 5 June, which were declared a weekend. But this is not the only gift that the queen presented to her subjects. She organized a free lottery with 5,000 2-person invitations as winnings. 10,000 lucky people from all over the country went to Buckingham Palace on June 5.
The Queen's schedule, as usual, was drawn up long before the significant date. On the morning of June 2, a volley of cannons was fired in London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff, heralding the beginning of the celebrations. Then Elizabeth II, along with family members and an accompanying retinue, attended the horse races in the city of Epsom Derby. A motorcade of cars marched across the field to loud cheers from the crowd. About 150,000 spectators gathered at the racetrack that Saturday.
On Sunday, June 3, a water parade took place, which fell into the Guinness Book of Records as the largest procession of ships. The Queen was aboard the Spirit of Chatwell barge, which led the flotilla. The 6-hour show was broadcast throughout the country on giant screens installed on the streets of large cities. It was watched live by 1.2 million people. Many Englishmen held picnics and lunches in honor of the Queen, gathering relatives and friends.
On Monday, July 4, a rock concert was held on the square in front of Buckingham Palace, in which British stars took part: Elton John, Shirley Bussie and others. At the end of musical performances at 22 o'clock throughout the kingdom and in the Commonwealth countries (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Union of South Africa and Ireland) lighthouses were lit. There were about 4,000 of them in total, the last of which was lit by the ruler herself at 22:30. Immediately after that, a festive fireworks thundered near the palace.
On Tuesday, June 5, the entire royal family and those close to them visited St. Paul's Cathedral, where a festive church service was held. Then Elizabeth II rode through the streets of London, sitting in a carriage and greeting the thousands of Britons gathered along them. For 10,000 chosen ones, a picnic was arranged near Buckingham Palace, and then they could see firsthand the appearance of the crowned person on the balcony, from which she, in turn, watched the parade of the air force.
Like all grandiose events, the diamond anniversary of the reign of the Queen of England was not without surprises. The most unpleasant of them was the hurricane and freezing rain that hit the capital on Sunday morning just before the start of the water parade. However, the spectators, shivering from the cold, did not go home, but bravely greeted their favorite.
