Post by Administrator on Jun 5, 2012 23:53:23 GMT
After jubilee success, monarchy faces the future:
Queen Elizabeth II's appearance at Buckingham Palace with her family on Tuesday capped a triumphant Diamond Jubilee weekend for a British monarchy that has overcome years of crisis and seems secure in its subjects' hearts.
The royal family will be overjoyed with the public response to the jubilee, which the queen, in a televised address, called "a humbling experience."
The well-wishers came in all ages, from across Britain and around the world, and many seemed genuinely moved.
The jubilation was a triumph of brand renewal that has been 15 years in the making. After decades of declining deference, the modern monarchy reached its lowest ebb during the 1990s in a blaze of unflattering headlines. Three of the queen's four children got divorced — most spectacularly, Charles from the wildly popular Princess Diana. Though both conceded infidelity, public opinion sided with Diana, generally viewed as an innocent devoured by the ruthless royal "Firm."
Since then, the family and its staff have worked hard to turn around that image. The death of the much-loved Queen Mother Elizabeth in 2002 revived memories of World War II, a time of common purpose in which the royal family served as a unifying symbol.
In 2005, Charles married his longtime love Camilla in a low-key service, and a woman once viewed as a home wrecker has since come to be seen as a royal asset, a down-to-earth figure with a wicked sense of fun.
Last year's Westminster Abbey wedding of William and Kate Middleton was the crowning glory, an extravaganza of pomp and glamor that cemented the new couple — young, attractive, socially at ease — at the heart of a 21st-century monarchy.
In particular, Kate — now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge — brings to the family a dash of celebrity glamor unseen since Diana.
While the queen is the heart of the monarchy and its link to the past, the young royals have helped it appear relevant.
The monarch wore ear plugs for Monday's jubilee pop concert outside Buckingham Palace — she is thought to prefer opera. But William and Harry could be seen singing along enthusiastically to the likes of Tom Jones, Paul McCartney and Elton John.
The image of the relaxed young royals is a sign of how much, and how cannily, the monarchy changed with the times.
Throughout the jubilee, the queen was cast as a servant of the British people, rather than their sovereign.
The decision to have only the core royals — the queen, Charles, Camilla, William, Kate and Harry — appear on the palace balcony, rather than the extended family, gave an image of a stripped-down monarchy for austere times.
Philip's illness, however, provided a note of sadness and uncertainty amid the celebration.
The prince was said Tuesday to be doing well in a London hospital, but he will be 91 on Sunday and is increasingly frail. The queen, at 86, is already Britain's longest-lived monarch. Only her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, reigned for longer.
Prince Philip has been a constant companion to the queen throughout her reign, and his illness cast a shadow over Tuesday's jubilee finale: a service of thanksgiving, a carriage procession and an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Prayers were said for the duke during the St Paul's Cathedral service.
The palace balcony seemed poignantly emptier than on previous occasions as the royal family waved to the crowds, and in her diamond jubilee address later Tuesday, the queen mentioned her husband, but not his absence.
"Prince Philip and I want to take this opportunity to offer our special thanks and appreciation to all those who have had a hand in organising these jubilee celebrations," she said.
At a jubilee pop concert in London on Monday night, which the queen insisted on attending without him, Prince Philip won cheers and shouts from the crowds after Charles said: "The only sad thing about this evening is that my father cannot be here with us because unfortunately he's been taken unwell.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if we shout loud enough he might just hear us in hospital."
The crowd chanted "Philip! Philip!"
Born a prince of Greece and Denmark, he gave up his promising career as an officer in Britain's royal navy when his wife acceded to the throne in 1952. They were visiting Kenya at the time and he broke the news.
"He has been a constant strength and guide," the queen told parliament in March.
Forthright and outspoken, he has a reputation for off-colour jokes, while behind the scenes he is said to be the family's patriarch and a key support to the monarch.
The prince said last year he wanted to scale down his royal duties as his 90th birthday loomed and in December he suffered chest pains and was treated for a blocked coronary artery.
Well done that man:
Get well soon.
The country needs you !
K.