The Diamond Jubilee Review

And good evening, Mr Bond. Good "Let Me Entertain You", by Robbie

It is her job, it is her duty, she says it has been in life of service

to a people, a country and a common wealth that has changed beyond all

recognition during her reign. And so it was she chose Leicester, a

city that has seen much of that change, to begin her Diamond

Jubilee tour. Not far behind the newest member of her family,

herself, a future Queen. This year, the foreign tours would be left to

others. Instead, the Queen travelled around the UK, the sting

dozens of communities across England, Scotland and Northern

Ireland. In Wales, she went to wave Redditch, Aberfan. Never in my life

have I ever seen anything like this. I hope I shall never see anything

like this again. Here, in 1966, the colliery waste tip collapsed on to

the village engulfing the local school. 116 children and 28 adults

died. In visiting Aberfan during her

jubilee year, the Queen was honouring a commitment made at the

time of the disaster. I spoke to her 44 years ago. She

promised to me then, she shook my hand, that she would come back and

opened a school when we built it. She has fulfilled her promise.

After Aberfan, the Queen went to Ebbw Vale which once had the

largest steelworks in Europe. But not now. She spoke of the town's

fortitude and resilience. And she told people that she and Prince

Philip shed much of the joy and sadness of the Welsh people.

-- shared. The Jubilee could not escape the unpredictable British

Here in Surrey, an event to promote woodlands and parks was almost

The hope was things would improve, as London became the centre of

celebrations in June. Millions flocked to be part of the Diamond

Jubilee long weekend, four days of concerts, picnics, church services,

fly-pasts and memorably a soggy River Pageant on the River Thames.

The weekend began with a personal journey for the Queen to Epsom

The 60 years, she has hardly ever missed it. It is her great passion.

The Derby, a fitting start to the Jubilee weekend. Although there was

no jubilee fairy-tale here. On the outside, Camelot takes a narrow

lead. The first father-son combination to win. A wind-up of

the race for the Queen it still And so to the River Thames, an

event billed as the most spectacular of the weekend, the

And hip hip, hooray. An armada of 1,000 vessels covering

a seven-mile stretch towards Tower But, the weather had other ideas.

The Royal Family put on a brave face, with even a hint of rigid. --

a jig. The drenched Chorus showed some stiff upper lip, and carried

on regardless. Land of Hope and But the Pad and struggled to live

up to its billing. For the huge crowds on the banks of the River

Thames, there was much to enjoy, but for those watching on TV at

home, the BBC coverage they saw was roundly criticised, too lightweight,

too flippant, lacking gravitas. There was a huge opportunity to say,

banged the drum for the country, explain what or the extraordinary

buildings in London were, one London was where it was. And what

wonderful things we still manage to do in this country. I think with

the greatest respect to the BBC, that was a wasted opportunity and I

am sorry about it. After the pageant, came the picnic.

Those who had won the ticket lottery, 10,000 of them, found

themselves inside Buckingham Palace, Fourie picnic in the Queen's back

garden. We have been excited for the last two weeks since we have

put their own, we have been that children, are we there yet? When

are you ever going to get a chance to do that ever again, I feel so

privileged. It is a day to remember, I cannot believe it is actually

happening. As they tucked in, there were some surprised visitors. A

chance to mingle with their hosts. Nice dress. A bank you. I hope you

have something to put on if it gets colder.

There was a free glass of champagne for everyone. Their jubilee hampers

were put together by one of the country's top chefs. Even now, just

talking to you, I have goose bumps. It is something I'll never forget.

People queuing. Slapping each other in queues. I had to follow them on

my video. Seeing these hampers. I got palpitations after the event.

As they prepared to move from the palace garden to their concert seed,

news that threatened to upset the celebratory news -- mood.

The press this decision is reporting that the Duke of

Edinburgh has been taken to hospital with a bladder infection.

That has come from Buckingham Palace. News that Prince Philip has

been taken to hospital, with a bladder infection. He will

presumably not be back for the concert. It seemed the hours in the

damp conditions had taken their toll, the Duke of Edinburgh or

robbed of his presence at the Queen's side in the Jubilee weekend.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

"Let Me Entertain You." # I'm a burning effigy. # Of everything I

used to be. # You're my rock of empathy.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

The concert included music from the And now, ladies and gentlemen... He

THEY SING. And an official Jubilee song

written by the mastermind of the concert, Gary Barlow, alongside

Andrew Lloyd Webber. Performed on a crowded stage by a choir drawn from

But most memorable, perhaps, was the transformation of Buckingham

Palace, momentarily into a block of flats as madness use the Palace

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

The Queen then let the final diamond jubilee beacon on the Mall.

The last of 4200 beacons that had been lit around the world to Mark

Kirk 60 years on the throne. She appeared stoic, but the chicken

hospital must have been a concern. It was left to the Prince of Wales

to articulate the family's feelings during a tribute to his mother.

only sad thing about this evening is that my father could not be here

with us because, unfortunately, he is taken unwell, but ladies and

gentlemen, if we shout loud enough, he might just hear us in hospital.

As a nation, this is our opportunity to thank you and my

father for always being there for us, for inspiring us with your

selfless duty and service and for making us proud to be British.

CHEERING. So, your Majesty, we offer you our

humble duty and with it, or three resounding cheers for Her Majesty

the Queen. Hip hip, hooray. Hip hip, hooray. Hip hip, hooray.

As the fireworks and a fanfare of the concert faded, the final event

of the Jubilee weekend was here at St Paul's Cathedral. A time for

With Prince Philip still in hospital, the Queen walked up the

steps of St Paul's Cathedral on her own. There to welcome her to the

Service of Thanksgiving, the new Dean of St Paul's. I had only been

in office for 10 days. The first words the Queen said to me ever,

really, was she said, you have not been here long, have you? I thought,

that's an understatement. She was really kind and gracious and the

rest of the royal family were very good. I thought I will either panic,

or else you say this is a family coming to church and my job is to

welcome them. They were great and it was a lovely occasion to do that.

As we come together as loyal subjects from all parts of the

realms and Commonwealth of Nations, we give thanks to the blessings

bestowed by guard on our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth. And we

celebrate the identity and variety which our nations under her have

enjoyed. I think we are very fortunate to

have a monarch for whom being centred in guard, centred in

something outside of herself and indeed, outside of herself and the

people she serves has enabled her to give herself wholly to the

people she serves for 60 years. As the official celebrations ended,

the Queen recorded her own message of thanks.

The events that I have attended a to mark my diamond jubilee have

been a humbling experience. It has touched me deeply to see so many

thousands of families, neighbours and friends celebrating together in

such a happy atmosphere. I hope that memories of all this year's

happy events will brighten our lives for many years to come. I

will continue to treasure and draw inspiration from their countries

kindnesses shown to me in this country and throughout the

Commonwealth. Thank you all. Not everyone shared the Jubilee

further. The polls may indicate strong support for the Queen and

the institution she leads, but there were voices of discontent.

I think a subliminal messages are about deference and being passive.

Since the role in this was to wave your plastic flag and celebrate

enshrined in the quality which is at the heart of the celebration of

the Royal. This is saying this is still a few talk society, these

people are still empowered, know your place. That is the true

message. People believe in themselves and the society and it

should be a democratic society. Having a monarch tells see the

opposite. Most countries have a president elected he could be a man

or woman, Catholic or a Prost -- Protestant. Look at Barack Obama.

The celebrations send a strong message and ours is, you are not in

control. The alternative is to have a president that is elected. In a

jubilee year filled with symbolism, 27th June 1920 12 would be a day of

great significance. Through Northern Ireland security cordons

and injuries of the past came Martin McGuinness, formerly a

commander in the I R eight and now deputy first minister, for an

unprecedented meeting with Elizabeth the second. Their first

handshake had been in private, the second very public in front of the

cameras. This brief exchange, one of the most potent images of the

Jubilee year. Once the Queen left, Martin McGuinness emerged. He

greeted her initially in Irish. It had apparently all been friendly.

Good. It all went very well. I'm For 60 years she has been a steady,

constant presence. Not one for surprises. But her role in a spoof

during the Olympic Opening Ceremony was a first.

The monarch turned Bond girl. It was on my day off and I was

particularly grumpy about using my day off. No, it was great. It was a

very special thing to even be a part of Danny Boyle's Opening

Ceremony, which I personally thought was stupendous and amazing.

Just a chance to have a moment in it. Her Majesty was a very game.

The Queen marked her jubilee with events here in the UK delegating

her overseas tours to her children and grandchildren.

In Jamaica, Prince Harry proved a crowd pleaser taking on Usain Bolt,

the world's fastest man in his own The Prince of Wales and Duchess of

Cornwall's trip included Australia where there is a continued debate

about its links with the British throne. It was a first visit for

the duchess and she was keen to embrace all things Australian. Will

the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge it was a share and the South

Pacific, including here, at this tiny island.

They may have looked relaxed but the tour was marred by the

publication of topless photos of the Duchess in a French magazine.

Some think the couple said was a grotesque invasion of privacy. A

harsh reminder of the downside of life as a senior royal.

These were all high-profile tours and, perhaps, provided a sign of

things to come. What this jubilee also gave us is an insight into the

future. The look of the Royal Family going forward. It is clear

the focus will be on a smaller, core group of royals.

That group was on show for the culmination of the Jubilee weekend.

This wasn't the Queen presenting her entire family, this was a

pared-down version. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall,

the Prince's children, William and Harry, and the Duchess of Cambridge