The Patron's Lunch The Queen's 90th Birthday

Good afternoon, and welcome back to St James's Park for the final day

of celebrations for the Queen's official 90th birthday.

It's been a wonderful weekend so far, and today promises to be

a fun-filled fest of parade, party and picnic.

It's the final day of official celebrations,

Thousands of people are already gathering in The Mall

Thousands more are watching on big screens here in St James's Park,

and up and down the country hundreds of street parties are being held.

You can probably tell from the colour of The Mall, there has been

some rain this morning. But it looks like it's brightening up.

This is the culmination of celebrations for Her Majesty's

official 90th birthday, which have been going

They started on Friday morning with the Service of Thanksgiving

at St Paul's Cathedral, a special day for Her Majesty,

but also for the Duke of Edinburgh, as it was his 95th birthday.

And yesterday we witnessed the wonderful pomp and pageantry

The Coldstream Guards were Trooping the Colour on Horse Guards Parade,

and a little later the Royal family watched the magnificent RAF fly-past

from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, the Gloriana led a flotilla procession

along the River Thames, with the fleet paying a special

salute to the Queen for her 90th birthday at the Tower of London.

Once the Birthday Parade was over, there was the almighty task

of transforming The Mall from a Royal processional route

It promises to be a wonderful party, and if you're having your own party

or celebration at home, we'd love to know what you're up to.

Simply get in touch via our BBC News feeds on Facebook,

Twitter, or email your pictures to [email protected].

Two people who are already in the heart of today's action

on The Mall are Mel Giedroyc and Chris Hollins.

Hello! Listen, only in Britain would we be in ponchos in the pouring rain

eating limp sandwiches. Chris, not in a poncho, I'm disappointed. I

feel quite smart. We have a parade later, celebrating the decades of

the Queen's rain. 300 ounces and 400 musicians. It feels great to be part

of a plucky British party. I think we should all do a Sundance in a

minute. For over a hundred years,

The Mall has been the setting for national events -

parades, parties, concerts But while today's street party might

grab all the attention, the road itself has its own

fascinating history, The Mall was created in the 17th

century along the course of a muddy track leading through

St James's Park. A game similar to croquet,

called pall-mall, was played here. And that's where the name

Mall comes from. A new tree-lined boulevard

was a big hit and soon became In the 20th century,

designer Aston Webb turned it into the ceremonial route

we now know. Including the addition of the iconic

Queen Victoria Memorial. The surface of The Mall is coloured

red to give the effect of a giant red carpet leading all the way up

to Buckingham Palace. The route itself is intended

as the centrepiece for The Mall is still the place

to come for commemorations, It's where the nation

gathers to watch, cheer, remember, and -

of course - party. I'm joined in the studio now by

Darcey Bussell. Seven times Grammy award winner will.i.am, and Mr

Maestro himself, Jools Holland. We will not let the weather bring us

down. You have all been connected with or performed with royalty.

Darcey Bussell, I have read lots of different things about the Queen and

whether she is truly a fan of ballet. Is she? I think she likes

the entertainment in little bits. You have performed for her when?

Many times. I can't count all the performances. Countless times? Yes,

probably more than on my hand. You are president of the Royal Academy

of dance. When we see the parade we will see what an intrinsic part of

the performance the dancers are. What's been going on? They have come

from everywhere. One group has come from the Isle of Wight and they have

never been to London. They can't believe they are coming here to

dance down The Mall for the Queen. I have seen footage of their

rehearsals, and they are ecstatic. Nothing will spoil this at all. We

look forward to seeing them. Jools Holland, you performed here before

and we saw some footage of the Diamond jubilee concert in 2012. You

have performed all over the world in front of tens of thousands of

people. Describe that performance. There's something very personal

about doing something that celebrates the Queen, she is so well

loved by us all and she unifies everybody. That's one of the things

she does. It's a lovely... The atmosphere, very good, nobody cares

about the rain here today, because everybody has this shared love of

the Queen. It was great. The other great thing, there was Ruby Turner

MBE there. Another great thing the Queen does, that meant so much to

Ruby. Somebody who came from Jamaica so long ago and has so many great

things behind her. It meant so much to her, a great thing. Interesting

to hear you say it's personal, it's not about the monarchy, it's about

the Queen for you, is it? It's her you want to celebrate? Yes, and I

think we have all grown up with her. She is a constant. The whole family

have maintained a constantly great presents throughout the years. It's

really hard for anyone to keep that going. She has done a fantastic job.

Will.i.am, welcome. You performed at the same concert four years ago. Is

it right you met the Queen backstage afterwards? I did meet backstage,

there were a lot of entertainers there, Cheryl Cole, Stevie Wonder

will stop to meet the Queen among my peers was an amazing honour. We have

all the bunting and the red white and blue. It's a quintessentially

British celebration. For somebody who knows Britain very well but sees

it from a different perspective, what do you make of the flag waving

and the celebration? As an American it's an honour to be here, above

all, to be an international artist to be welcomed here and perform at

the 90th birthday, celebrating here. I remember growing up and watching

the Queen from an American point of view. To be here marks, for use of

the people in the United Kingdom, it's an honour. -- you lovely people

of the United Kingdom. You say all the right things. Do you remember

what you chatted about? I told that she reminded me of my grandma. She

said, that's nice. My grandma, they have the same style. Obviously the

Queen is authentic, my grandmother did a version of it. She reminds me

of that warmth and motherly... That generation has gone for ever. We are

looking at some pictures of people celebrating, some of the picnickers,

people connected in various ways with the 600 charities that have

Royal patronage through Her Majesty's tenure and many Manics

that have gone before. Something interesting going on today is the

combination of celebrating the monarch and also seeing what's very

real, the patronage of the organisations and charities. It's

very real to have the monarch as a patron because it brings attention.

It means so much everybody working for those charities. They are here

not only to celebrate her birthday, but to say thank you for everything

she has given, the support she has given to those charities. And she

really has. Whenever she comes to visit, or comes to performances, she

sees so many of the students at work at the Royal Academy. You have been

connected with musical charities over the years and whenever they

come, they shine a light. All the royals do incredible work. I'm

involved with the Prince's Trust. It's one of the biggest charities

helping young people in the world. The Queen is involved in all these

charities, but when a royal person becomes involved, it doubles the

publicity. Even the most cynical people last prized, if a royal is

involved, the thing doubles in size and it shines a light. -- cynical

people are surprised. They spend a lot of time. I saw some pearly kings

and queens. I love the old pearly kings, the old musical songs. You

haven't got your piano, but I imagine you would love to. Thank you

for your time. It's a very British way of having a picnic. Nobody

letting the rain dampen their spirits. We will have a look at the

picnic hampers in great detail soon. I think they could last a week. They

are stuffed! The festivities are in full swing

on The Mall, but people aren't just

celebrating in the capital. The Prince of Wales and

Duchess of Cornwall are leading the regional

celebrations. They arrived a little while ago

in Brimpsfield in Gloucestershire, where they will take part

with the local villagers in apple-bobbing, face-painting

and even a Royal quiz! I doubt his Royal Highness will be

face painting. I think they have a bit of sunshine in Gloucestershire

today. And we want to hear from you if

you're having your own street party. Send pictures of your celebration

to our BBC News feeds on Facebook, Twitter or email them

to [email protected]. We'll try and show as many possible

during the programme. At the heart of today's party are

over 600 charities and organisations Covering everything from agriculture

to architecture and science to sport, the work of these

organisations reaches into so many We spoke to a couple of the lucky

people who have been invited to the lunch to hear how they've

been helped by their charity, and ask them what being here

today means to them. I've had epilepsy for 30 years,

as well as having other health which has just totally

taken my independence away. To be able to do things

that most people take for granted, be it drive a car, cook the tea,

have a bath, it's just been

too dangerous to do. I notice when my mum

is having a seizure, when she sometimes can just

sit there staring into space. When I see that, I lie her down,

make sure she's comfortable, and there's no ways

she can get hurt. As long as she's safe,

I'm fine with caring for her. The Epilepsy Society have been

a huge support over the years. I've lost my job several

times due to my epilepsy. Three times I have lost

my driver's licence, and I've needed to cry

on the phone and they have

been a huge support. I worked at the British

Museum for 33 years. I was offered and accepted early

retirement and a redundancy package. Unfortunately, soon after that,

I got quite a serious knee injury which meant I wasn't going out,

I wasn't socialising with people. I was being told by members

of the family that I was becoming reclusive, but never

really accepted it myself. Friends of the Elderly,

and the Football Friends Group, Being a lifelong West Ham supporter,

I saw it as an opportunity to come to the ground,

meet people, It has given me a purpose

and a reason to get up in the morning, to do things

that I probably wouldn't There was a time where I loved

telling stories, but I didn't necessarily have the

tools to be able to create a play. I first became involved

with Ovalhouse as a writer and joined their young

associate programme. At the time I started,

the riots had happened, the London riots had

really happened, so it was quite

a polarising time. Perfect, I think,

for creativity, for writing. Here at Ovalhouse, we had

opportunities for young people to just talk and be honest

about the situation that's going on. I feel that the plays that were

created, the poems that were created, the opportunities that

were created, allowed a lot of the young people to go, you know

what, I'm actually worth something. I remember telling my mum,

I'm going to meet the Queen. Not a lot of people can say that

in one sentence - I'm delighted and actually very

humbled to be asked to be a guest of Friends of the Elderly

at the Patron's Lunch. It will be a great buzz for me to be

there representing those people. For me as a person, to know

that she does care about what this charity does, it's great

that she is stamping her name down When I go to London, I'm looking

forward to seeing the Queen. And it will just be a surreal

but amazing day. And here he is in the flesh, this is

Rubin, so nice to see you, I having a good time? I am having an amazing

time. You are rocking the poncho, can I just say? I am making it my

own! You are due to meet the Queen quite soon. Yes, I am excited. I

have never met her before, ever. What do you think you might want to

say to her? Thank you? Thank you... For the hamper! For being the patron

of our charity, she is such a symbol of this country and of what we can

aspire to being, you know, the way she is, her personality, the way she

works. It is something that we can aspire to being. You are a

playwright, what are you writing at the moment? At the moment I am

writing a show about Islamophobia, how it affects the friendship of a

few girls, and more looking at the sense that, to a certain degree,

there is Islamophobia but you can see right in front of you, but there

is an insidious side to it, that is what I want to look to. And on a

less serious note, how is the picnic? Amazing! There's nothing

left in my hamper, I love that the food. Good luck with the

playwriting, good luck meeting the Queen, I bet she will be lovely.

Back to you. That was meant to last you all day, you weren't meant to

scoff at all before two o'clock! I have another great honour of

welcoming into the studio a triumvirate of showbiz royalty. I

will not even blush, it is true, Sir David Jason, the Deputy Lieutenant

of Kent, Jools Holland, who has stayed with us, and I was going to

say Penelope Wilton, but I'm going to say Dame Penelope Wilton, you

have just been awarded that in the honours, many congratulations, when

did you find out? I found out about... Well, they asked me about

six weeks ago, and then you have to fill in a form and say whether you

will accept it. Then there is a deep silence. You think to yourself,

perhaps I got all that wrong! And then yesterday it was in the papers.

People often say, when I've asked before, well, yes, it is for all the

people I have worked with, but that a personal level, when you are

acknowledged in that way, what is the feeling? Well, in my case, it

was surprise, because... You know, someone asked me in one of those

things you do for the papers, they give you a list of questions, what

is the thing you are most proud of? I said, keeping going, because that

is what you do as an actor, you keep going. And so this was... And came

from left field, and I am very honoured and delighted. David Jason,

can you cast your mind back, was it 2005, is that right? Possibly, yes.

What is it like? You have done so much in your performances where you

have had to hold your nerve, is it an occasion, when you meet the Queen

and go to the Palace, that you feel a sense of nerves? Or not really?

No, you are absolutely right, whenever you perform, we would all

agree that there is always a very heightened sense of nervousness or

tension, if you like, because you are being put on the spot. So that

when you are standing in the line, in the queue to get your medal, as

it were, you then get that sense of performance, a sense of it being

heightened, because you know you are going to be observed. And so that

fills you with that sort of nervous trepidation that you get just before

you go on. I think we all suffer from it. But it's not a sovereign, I

remember Nick Lyndhurst and I, when we were doing the show together, we

used to walk around behind the set when the audience was in, waiting

for our cue, and we used to go, why are we doing this?! And the Queen,

when you were chatting, did she know your work? Yes! That is a little

amusing anecdote that I like to sometimes tell. What it was, she was

very nice and she puts you at your ease, but she said to me, oh, you

are in the theatre? I said, yes, your Majesty. And what is it you are

doing now? I said, I am rehearsing for a Christmas special of Only

Fools And Horses, your Majesty. And I felt such a wallet! I am

rehearsing for Only Fools And Horses, as if she would know! The

only thing that I thought I would say that I was waiting for, and it

never came, was that I was expecting her to say, go down and you are down

as a Mr, but she said nothing, up and you was done! Just rewrite it,

tell people that is how it happened. Jools Holland, I introduced you as

Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, there is the Lord Lieutenant, and under them

the deputy. The Lord Lieutenant represents the Queen in Kent, you

know, she cannot be everywhere at once, and one of the great things

she does is celebrate people's work. We are faces, as it were, but lots

of people are doing really sort of worthwhile work, and there is no

other... There is nobody else like the Queen that can celebrate what

they do. And reward them, so sometimes the Lord Lieutenants go

and do that on behalf of the Queen, and then the deputies, I am not the

sheriff, the deputies! We can assist, or help in some way I

suppose it is also getting the word back about who is doing the

worthwhile work. Because that is the important thing, we were talking

about Ruby Turner, Rod Stewart, but it is all the people that you have

not heard of that do all the worthwhile work. Penelope, you want

to say something. I think everybody knows somebody who does

extraordinary work, and they just need to tell someone about that. And

you can easily find out how to tell on the internet now. Let people know

about the marvellous work, because, actually, it is all done quietly in

their communities, and people don't know, and it is easier for us,

because we are on the television, films or theatre. But there are

small acts that go on every day that needs to be celebrated. And so many

of the 10,000 people here today celebrating are celebrating, of

course, Her Majesty The Queen's birthday, but it is to say to them,

thank you for being part of the fabric of British society that makes

it what it is. Yes, doing all the hard work. I think you can go and

enjoy your picnic now, let's take a look at what is happening out there

plans... Go for a swim? I do not think you can go for a swim in that!

People waving, taking but the grass, enjoying the food. Nice birthday

hats, we like that! People from around the globe. Inflatable crowns,

people from the Armed Forces, somebody who appears to be slightly

retro there. A Chelsea Pensioner there. Lots of nice pictures of what

people are enjoying at home, that looked rather delicious, save me a

slice! The Queen is patron of over 600

charities and organisations, Let's hear from a few

more of today's guests Our son Peter was 13,

was taken into hospital Unbeknown to us,

he had type one diabetes. Peter was rushed in,

went to a high-dependency unit, where he had a cardiac arrest

that night. And then six days later,

unfortunately Peter passed away. He just couldn't fight

the fight any more. Diabetes UK were there for us

from the start offering support, and we have decided

to give something back. They have been an extension

to our family, so to speak. We've ran, we've ridden,

we've done picnics, all sorts

of different fundraising. And it's not just us,

there's a raft of people up and down the country doing it

in Peter's memory. I was a member

of the Parachute Regiment. I was injured in Northern Ireland,

I lost both legs. I was on patrol,

it was a foot patrol, and I stood

on a pressure-pad landmine which blew me

straight up in the air. I realised instantly that my dream

of being a soldier was over. And at that moment

I realised that I was going to have to find something else

that would fill that void. I was the first double amputee

in the world When I was training,

we really needed help financially. Thankfully, ABF -

the Soldiers' Charity, stepped in. that I wouldn't have had the success

in skydiving that I have. Diabetes UK have recognised

the ?50,000 we have raised and we will be representing them

at the Patron's Lunch. Yeah, it'll be great to be

there and be part of it and be surrounded

by like-minded people. She is somebody I would describe

as fierce and gentle. I just think she's wonderful,

beautiful, and she's a staunch

supporter of the military. Pierce, gentle, wonderful and

beautiful - those are the words that you described Her Majesty. You are

quite keen on her, let's be honest. Yeah, I love her to bits. Such a

staunch supporter of the military, as you rightly said. Is this a kind

of way of thanking her for that today? I think so, I think that is

what everybody is actually here four, just to show their support.

She always shows her support, it is a chance for us to... We can do the

same back for once. Did you skydive here today? I just want to check.

Yes! No, I didn't. The weather is not good enough. If it had have

been, maybe they would have let me parachute in. Listen, it is getting

better, things are clearing up. You are not even in a poncho, you are so

hard! I took at off when I saw the camera come in. Unlike me, I should

have taken that from you! How was the picnic? Fantastic, lovely food,

thanks Marks Spencer's. I am sorry to crash your party, I will be

looking in your hamper later, but lovely to have you here. Is that

what you're doing, going into everybody's hamper? I don't want

anything to go to waste! Bye, enjoy meeting the Queen! Thanks, what an

inspiration you are. Months of planning and preparation

have gone into this parade. Over 300 dancers, 400 musicians,

1,600 volunteers, 180 celebration makers,

and 12,500 ponchos, but today's carnival

was the brainchild of one man, the biggest and best

90th birthday party ever. Never has the monarch's patronages

all been recognised as one. We sort of said, wouldn't

this be a great idea to try and bring them all together,

providing them with a platform to be able to shout from the rooftops

at their pride at having There's going to be a massive amount

of colour, a lot of movement, a lot of noise, and hopefully people

will get up and Singing and walking can be a little

challenging for some people, but I think because we will be

dancing at the same time... As much as it's a march,

I think the songs we will be singing, I have arranged

them to be rhythmic, so it will be in our step,

in our rhythmic step. # Is it me you're looking

for...# so are the choir, so we have to be

prepared for the unexpected. I think the logistical challenges

of this are vast. We have 12 hours to basically get

all of our infrastructure in place. We are closing six roads

in the centre of town. We've got 174 vehicles that have

to come into The Mall Our job was to provide

10,000 fabulous hampers The hamper packing has been a

military exercise in its own right. We have about 15 hours to do it

and a team of 125 hamper We have a fleet of lorries to take

the hampers to The Mall, but we quickly realised we had

to measure them to make sure they would actually fit under

the tree canopy because it would be a disaster if the first lorry that

went down The Mall took off So we have actually commissioned

a fleet which is the right Each element has a musical element,

it has a dance element. The overall effect on the day

will be absolutely wonderful. And the opportunity for these young

people to actually perform in front of such a great audience

is something that they will We're going to work hard,

we're going to have a lot of fun, and we are going to make this happen

for the Queen. And then it has a parade

element, if you like. This is Kes, a six metre wingspan

kestrel that's going to be It is extra special that the Queen

is going to see it. I want this to be a celebration

of the Queen's commitment I hope that it will encourage people

to say, d'you know what, we all got together and we had

a great street party. These splendid parade will be

happening on The Mall shortly. People there talking in to their

food in their hampers and waving at our cameras. Also to people from 600

charities across Britain to say thank you to Her Majesty and enjoy

that delicious food. Don't forget to keep sending

in your comments and pictures Well, today's main event is due

to start very shortly, and I'm delighted to say I'm joined

now in the studio by Royal biographers Gyles Brandreth

and Katie Nicholl, and TV Let's spend a few minutes talking

about food. Everybody is talking in, quality goods, what about that

hamper? I've been very impressed. A nice it'll feast, starting with some

smoked salmon mousse, layers of salmon. Scottish salmon. The

beautiful Pembrokeshire chicken roulade with a salad, some Cornish

potatoes, some Wye Valley Asp Arrigo Saachi PE shoots. Nice and light. --

Wye Valley asparagus and PE shoots. Enough cakes to go up and down The

Mall three times. There must be the poshest porkpie I've ever clapped

eyes on. It's got piccalilli in, watercress pastry. It looks

delicious. I'm going to have a nibble. There is so much food in

here... Are you actually doing this? I was going to ask you a question!

It's real piccalilli. Peter Phillips been involved? He has done the

tasting. Did your mother tell you that it's rude to talk with your

mouth full in front of the nation on the Queen's birthday! This is to

last people all day. A huge amount of food and the logistics of getting

it on The Mall were enormous. Unbelievable. They started

distributing them at 2:30am, vans arriving. 10,000 hampers. They have

been working all night long. Beautiful sandwiches. Gyles

mentioned the sandwiches with some Irish beef, Welsh cheddar, Wiltshire

ham, and Scottish smoked salmon. In case you are a vegetarian, we have a

vegetarian and the vegan campers as well. Everything has been thought of

carefully. -- vegan hampers. We will have a walkabout soon with members

of the Royal family. One thing that has been highly noticeable all

weekend is that this has very much been a family occasion, a royal

family occasion. Very much so, from that incredible balcony occasion

where we saw Princess Charlotte for the first time since her

christening. The Queen's great-grandchildren, grandchildren

and children. A proper family affair. I'm not just asking you this

because we are women, but a lot of people have been talking about what

the Queen was wearing yesterday! I knew you would ask that. Some are

saying the outfit was apple green, some mint green. We have dubbed it

neon at 90. I don't know many 19-year-olds who could carry that

off. These are the cars coming out of the gates of Buckingham Palace,

the cars will contain many members of the Royal family. They will be

deposited on The Mall and get in on the picnic goers and have a chat,

maybe share a porkpie. What will they be chatting about, Gyles? It's

a British occasion, they will almost certainly talk about the weather.

And it's delivering. The Mall has lots of nautical associations. It's

almost like a river, a straight line, and it's half a nautical mile

long. You go from the wonderful Queen Victoria Memorial. They are

walking, refusing to get in the car. Through the puddles in a high heels.

Never mind neon at 90, what about strikes in their 20s? Wonderful and

colourful. Katie, you are a royal biographer and know a lot about the

Royal family. I was trying to think of an occasion where this has

happened, so many members of the Royal family on one occasion get out

and among the crowds. It's unprecedented. I can't recall an

occasion. Princess and, suddenly the hardest working member of the Royal

family, she never stops. -- Princess Anne. I will do if this is sending

out a deliberate message, is there an underlying tone that we will see

the other members of the Royal family assist the Queen more over

the coming years? It's also the idea of the Royal family giving service.

100 years ago this didn't go on. The idea of the royals being involved in

charity is a post Queen Victoria invention. Queen Victoria was an

executive monarch, running the country. Queen Alexandra became

involved in charities and it's grown from there. Peter Phillips, a proud

day for him, also nerve wracking. Good to see him there with his

mother in those pictures. I'm sure every mother once their kids to do

the best and she must have been rooting for him this morning.

Princess Anne, the busiest of the royals, she and the Duke of

Edinburgh used to compete at a number of events they could fit in

in one year. They also competed over who could have the leanest office,

run it efficiently. Princess Anne runs a tight ship, and she does more

than any other member of the Royal family in terms of turning back

charity events. Yesterday the Duchess of Cambridge was in

Alexander McQueen. Would you describe that one as periwinkle

blue? And Harry, I only imagine the crush barriers as Harry goes to

shake hands will be under pressure from young ambitious women. I can't

see any marry me Harry banners yet. They are co-presidents of The

Patron's Lunch, so they will be heavily involved with their cousin,

making sure that despite the weather, this will not be a wash-out

and the Duke of Cambridge is going to give a special speech of thanks

this afternoon in honour of his grandmother. Gyles, you were saying

of this idea, the monarchy has evolved over hundreds of years and

if it is to be relevant it has to do. It changes and adapts. After the

war there was to speak Queen, King and two princesses. Quite a small

Royal family. Everything has changed in the generations since then. It

was decided in the 60s and 70s that there were so many young people

coming along, that they had to divide it up. When I interviewed the

Duke of Edinburgh coming he explains to me and they've said they sat down

and thought, who will do what? Prince Charles would do the arts and

things that interested him. Princess Anne seemed to be interested in

Scotland and prisons. So they divided up responsibilities around

the family. It's been taking up by the next generation. I'm wearing a

tie of the society that the Queen became patron of in 1952. It's now

run by Prince William. They change hands over the generations. The

Duchess of Cambridge is getting down to chat to the children. Like her

husband's mother used to do. She jokes that she gets in trouble with

the family for taking too long! But she loves to chat! If you watch

them, they are taking their time, it's not just saying hello and a

quick shake, they have proper conversations. These people have

waited out in the rain for hours, have paid a lot of money for

tickets, but this makes it worth it. Ainsley Harriott, you are watching

and smiling watching this. It is happening all over the Commonwealth.

I got telephone calls this morning from people saying they were having

a party. People engage in it. Your parents were one of 2000 people

coming across the Commonwealth to command make a new life here. We

have talked about the Commonwealths over this weekend. Queen of the

South to King, but -- Queen of the United Kingdom. In the Commonwealth,

the Queen means something to them? It's still so strong and so

powerful. That's why a lot of immigrants who came to Britain, they

were in awe of the Royal family. So much respect. We were a royal

household. When the national anthem was played on the BBC, we would

stand up. Lady Louise, one of Prince Edward's children. She is actually

called Lady Louise Mountbatten of Windsor, if first member of this

royal family to have Mountbatten as part of her name. She is quite

young. The point of the story is that there was controversy at the

time, when the queen married Prince Philip the rather assumed the

children would be called his name. Traditionally in this country the

father's name is taken on by the children. It wasn't the case, the

house remained the house of Windsor. It wasn't until Prince Edward's

daughter arrived that the change happened and Mountbatten of Windsor

became the name of Lady Louise. This is also her first walk about. She

has not done this before. Had parents will be so proud of her.

She's around 12 or 13, Lady Louise, and to see her standing on her own,

it takes some gumption. And Prince Edward, in some ways, he's possibly

the least known and least popular of the Queen's children, if you did an

opinion poll. You could say that in the Palace, Prince Edward is the

Queen's favourite. She spends a lot of time with him and his family. He

is the youngest, and his children are particularly close to the Queen

and Prince Philip as grandchildren. To see her doing it so naturally.

And Harry is a natural. It's a different way of doing things with

the younger generation. You say that, but if you see footage of the

Prince of Wales in the 1920s, the person who became the successor to

Edward VIII, he has the charisma that Prince Harry has. I think

Prince Harry's story will be the happier one. I think the handshaking

and taking the time, it's a different way of being Royal and

that's what we see. They are very hands-on, they want to

engage with the public, and I think it is important they do -- do not do

it too often. They have to maintain some of their mystique. Chris

Hollins is on the Mall, how was it going? It is going very well, I do

not know if you can make out the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of

Cambridge, just the top of his head, but we have just met two people who

are very lucky to catch up with both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,

Melanie and Stuart, isn't it? What did Kate say to you? She asked about

what we do as a charity, and she spent a while chatting to us, it was

fantastic, she was very interested in the work that we do with children

and seafarers per role families around the world, building homes and

classrooms, providing education. She was really interested in that side

of what we do. What is lovely to see is that she is genuinely interested,

she does not just walk on by and say hello. She was lovely, great eye

contact, shook hands, held her hands, she was so lovely and warm,

genuinely interested, yeah, lots of questions. I can see you are still

buzzing, trembling a little bit. To be here anyway is so fantastic, to

meet them is just amazing. Did you manage to speak to Prince William?

Spoke to both of them, such a gracious couple, aren't they? People

people. Kate, particularly, as Melanie expressed, she is just so

interested in what people do, interested in the work with children

and young people, particularly. And just genuine, just genuine people. I

can see what proudly wearing your T-shirts for the Sailors' Society,

what do you do? So we provide welfare support to seafarers around

the world who, typically, spend 9-12 months away from their families over

the year. We support their families when the seafaring parent is away,

but we also get very involved in the lives of seafarers on a day-to-day

basis, dealing with issues of piracy, abandonment and so on. It is

lovely to speak to you, look at that smile, that says everything about

today! Lovely to speak to you. So nice to hear from them, clearly a

trip worth making, and there is Prince Harry, like many of the

Royals, out and about among the crowds, not just a delicious picnic,

but a day they will remember for many decades to come. Look at the

smiles. Joining me now in the studio

is a duo of singing sensations that have performed

for the Royals countless times. That is good, isn't it?! Thanks! We

try to count up, but we lost count. It is of course,

Lesley Garrett and Aled Jones. Nice to be part of proceedings,

definitely a festive feeling to the celebration of the Queen's 90th

birthday, I want to ask you to cast your mind back, I hope you do not

think this is cruel... I know where you are going with this, thanks(!)

When you were told about this, it was irresistible, was this the first

time you performed the Her Majesty? It was a Royal Gala in Edinburgh.

Before we go any further, you were 12 years old? Yes, 12 and a half.

Let's take a little luck at this. # Memories...

# I can hear them... # Not a dry I in the house! For those

of you listening closely... There is not a word that sounds like that, I

forgot the words to Memory, can you believe it?! The irony is writ large

I listened to the director, don't use the copy, it is spoiling the

shot. Edinburgh Playhouse, hearing the music, I thought to myself, I

haven't got a clue what comes next. The Queen was there with Prince

Philip, and I made the words of. I can hear the choirs singing

beautiful songs, and the memory lingers on, then back to the

original words, it was horrible. It did not seem horrible, it seems

delightful, but the moment that you realised you did not sing the words,

it was hilarious. Did you speak to Her Majesty afterwards? She was much

nicer than you! Everybody knows that! She said it sounded lovely. It

did, because your voice was beautiful. The press said the voice

will be broken in two days. You did, in fact, give a private performance

for the Prince of Wales? Yes, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince

Charles rang my dad and said, I would love to hear your son sing, so

we went to their living room and sang for an hour, then had a glass

of water and a chat. Then I dropped the glass of water on the carpet.

Disgraced yourself! I am amazed the Royal Family talk to me. Lesley,

over the years, you have performed many times in front of the Royal

Family, we were talking on Friday at about what sort of music the Queen

likes, is she interested, do you get any steer of what you should sing? I

think she likes music that is appropriate for an occasion, as I

have done, the Commonwealth Society, for instance, she is keen to see

representation of different countries. She has very catholic

tastes, she likes most things. I think she properly draws the line at

the immolation scene from certain operas, but she really seems to like

most things. She responds really, really well. I remember one

wonderful occasion when I was up at Harewood house singing for the

golden wedding, and I sang three different things on the same day, I

was presented in three different outfits, and this is what I love

about the Queen, her wit. She is so quick and so funny, she said to me,

you do have rather a large wardrobe, my dear! She would no! That is an

interesting thing, so often when I talk to people of time they have

spent with the Queen, she misses nothing, she is engaged. It would be

easy to think, she does so much of this, so many public engagements,

she turns up, behaves politely and leaves. That would seem not to be

the case. She also asks really pertinent questions. And she is

across everything, not for nothing do they call her the boss, the big

boss, because she knows everything that is going on, it is marvellous.

The obligatory selfies that Harry is giving to some of the younger

members of the crowd today. That is something that the Queen has gone

with, and championed, actually, modern technology, the use of

websites for the Palace, tweeting and so on. Her and her team, she is

in charge of a huge, huge organisation, really, isn't she?

They seem to be head of the game most of the time, which I think is

very impressive. Both of you, of course, are involved with charities

that are dear to your heart. So much of the day is about celebrating an

important birthday for the nation, but also celebrating so many people

who selflessly give their time, totally unappreciated, apart from a

personal level, to their charities, and it would seem that is as much

what the Queen and her symbolism is about as anything today. Absolutely,

it is all about giving, and you can see that on everyone's bases. Even

in this damp weather. 600 charities she is patron of? I think I have got

20. I have only got about six! And that takes up so much of our time,

and yet she finds time for 600, extraordinary. And so we see Prince

William there, just chatting among the crowds, and Katie Nicholl was

remarking on that, the amount of time that both he and his wife seem

to take. They do not just pass by and give people a wave, they seem

engaged in the conversation. Yes, all the Royal Family are like that,

all the members I have met. I spent too long talking to William when I

got my MBE, I went past the minute and a half, two minutes. But they

want to know why you are there, what you have done to achieve that. When

I got my CBE, it was the most extraordinary thing to have the

Queen say to me that she was so pleased to be able to honour me for

all that I have done for music in our country. I am sure she said

something to you. It is interesting, when it comes to the honours system,

there is still much discussion about the honours system and the patronage

that happens through the honours system, but it is undoubtedly the

case, in all the years of people that I get to interview and have the

privilege of talking to, they all say that when they are honoured, it

does feel like a special moment. Oh, my goodness me, yeah, the most nerve

wracking moment of my life, much worse than singing in front of

thousands of people. My knees were trembling, I don't know about yours,

just being in Buckingham Palace, for goodness sake. Such a humbling

experience, you think, why me? I'm still asking myself that question,

to be honest with you! It was just an incredible day. It is also very

inspiring, it inspired me to get much more involved in charities

after that. I thought, I have been given this wonderful honour, and I

need to live up to it now, and I have done more work since then as a

result of getting the award. Gyles Brandreth was talking about this

idea, which seems to have permeated the whole weekend and indeed the

Queen's former press secretary on Friday said that if there is a

message to be got out, if the Palace is trying to get a message out, it

is the message of service and engagement, and actually the

Archbishop of Canterbury said at the Thanksgiving, we ran a film before

about the service and Friday, and he said that the thing I believe about

the Queen is that she has set the gold standard for service. That is

an interesting thing, as we watch them now, this new generation of

Royals, that Harry will have looked at his grandmother, Peter Philipps

there, and if they want to understand what their role is for,

if it is for something important, it is for service to the country. And

look at the effect they have on the general public, it is incredible.

The Queen has not put a foot wrong, as she? Mel is in the thick of the

party with the Royals and the picnickers.

Exciting times down here, you have just spoken to Prince Harry, what is

your name, first of all? My name is Patricia. How was it, what did he

say? Wonderful, we have invited him to come and play croquet. It depends

which club you are in, putting your foot on the ball, Rogers said that

is the... You put him straight on the croquet rules, I heard he was

going to go to Blackpool to play croquet. Yes, we invited him, and he

has said that we are not to keep changing the rules because he plays

very well. You will show him a thing or two. Something is happening,

guys, a lot of commotion! Somebody is coming, I think it is Prince

William. Did you talk to Prince Harry? I didn't, I just shook his

hand. Who shook his hand? Will you not what your hand for a week?

Probably not! Of furious antibacterial when you get home! I

am obsessed with your outfits, a lot of effort has gone in here, red,

white and blue, what was the dress code is today? It just said Smart

casual. You have gone a little bit more casual than smart, but you look

lovely. You are the smart, you are the casual. Are you having a great

time? Very nice indeed, the food has been excellent. I need to get into

the hamper gang, I have not even tried. Really good quality food. I

heard there was a nice pork on offer. Piccalilli and crown on top.

Nice hot water crust? Watercress, yes, I enjoyed that! Water crust! I

am so sorry to crash your party. It is lovely to see you all. Oh, I love

you too, good luck with the Blackpool croquet session! Back to

you,. There is the Duchess of Cambridge

chatting away, taking time, probably making a lot of people's day with

the time she taking, beautiful scenes. It was, let's not put too

fine a point on it, slashing its down this morning! And now it isn't,

the sun is not quite out, it is in our studio, but there is a great

atmosphere, and with me now, an assortment of celebrities, but you

seem far too important for that word! People who are no strangers to

fundraising for charities. From Call The Midwife,

it's Bafta Award-winning actress Jenny Agutter,

gold-medal winning athlete Kriss Akabusi, and actor

and presenter Christopher Biggins. Let's call you a hard winner! I love

that! Kriss Akabusi, if I can come to you, we have been talking a lot

about charities, and somehow it seems to be at the heart of what

today is about, the Queen being patron of over 600 charities, so

many people today being thanked and thanking the Queen, a mutual

appreciation, if you like. Absolutely right, and we can all

take our lead from the Queen, who does put so much into good causes.

It is great, when you get into a position to put something back, and

we can learn from the way that she does it, you can engage with passion

and pride. You went on a space hopper down the Mall? That's writes,

the charity that I supported at the time, we were all there, they had a

long strip, 400 metres used to be my event, but rather than running and

hurdling, I was bouncing on one of those bouncy balls.

The director was looking at and saying do you had your game face on!

I obviously wasn't doing very well, but it was an interesting

experience. Christopher Biggins, can I call you Biggins?

Of course. You were doing a race in high heels for Cancer research. Yes,

and it's great to put back into society what you have been given.

She is amazing. I have met her many times at charity events and she's

extraordinary. What I'm impressed by is the fact she can talk to anyone

about anything. How does she do that? And how does she do it and

stay sewing gauges, as people say. She really takes interest in what

people say. -- and stay so engaged. Jenny Agutter, do you have a CBE?

OBE. I don't have my glasses on. That was for services to charity. It

must have been a significant moment. It was very humbling. You go along

and meet these people who have done extraordinary work, but the Queen is

also amazing, the way she speaks to everyone. One of the charities I

work with is for children. And to have a figurehead like the Queen is

so terribly important and brings a lot of attention. You work for a

charity for cystic fibrosis. I'm a regular viewer of the wonderful Call

the Midwife. You suggested a storyline in that. Heidi Thomas, the

writer, went with it and created a wonderful story. To be in a position

where you can do that is great. Talking to so many well-known

household names as I'm getting too today, it's wonderful. There is a

lot of nonsense that goes with the business of celebrity, but one of

the most significant and rewarding parts of it is what the three of you

do, which is to say, whatever it means to be a celebrity, let's use

it for something that does mean something, to try to help people

doing hard work, raising funds and research. You get to help people

doing a lot of hard work, and when you get awards come you realise it's

not for you, but for those people doing the work. What you can do is

bring attention to those people doing the work. Nowadays it's so

difficult to raise money and charities need all the help they can

get. It's marvellous to do things like that. What's also really

important is that we have experiences, myself in one niche

area, I was in care, and it's important to say to other young

people going through that experience, you can achieve great

things. In one way you are giving back but you also providing a role

model path. Saying it's possible to achieve things. You can leveraged

the success you have had to give back and show a path. You were a

member of the Armed Forces for a fuel years from the mid-70s onwards.

We have heard from some former service men, saying that the Queen,

as head of the Armed Forces, is somebody who for people in the Armed

Forces, they genuinely connect with her as an individual. Definitely.

Most of the Armed Forces will have a patron from the Royal family and you

are very well connected to them. When the Queen or Prince Philip or

whoever comes to your barracks, it's a massive event. For the few months

leading up to it, everybody is really geared up because you know

your chief of staff is coming and it's phenomenal. Biggins, a terrific

picture I want to show people because it made me smile earlier. I

don't know what you were laughing at when the Queen came to see you in a

Midsummer Night's Dream, but you were playing Puck. Looking gorgeous.

People are really chatting. What are they saying to him right now? They

have learned from their grandmother how to engage with the public and to

learn their stories. I was talking to somebody involved at Buckingham

Palace in dealing with the press and crowd management with the Royals.

They said what people must realise these days is that when senior

royals go out to meet the crowds, what they often meet is 2000 camera

phones. It's difficult to connect with a camera phone. To get to the

person beyond that. A selfie is the worst thing ever. Yes, people should

remember the moment, not just have the image on their cameras. What we

saw with the two young gentleman there, they were really engaged from

the get go, from their time up in Scotland at school and you can see

how comfortable they are with the public. It has filtered down from

the top, from the Queen, so all the grandchildren are accustomed to it

and comfortable with it. Mel is on the route close to where the

Cambridges R. They have literally just passed. Very excited, I got

totally involved and started shouting, Kate! For no reason. I

have very lovely girls from Scotland with me. Did you see them? It's so

exciting! We have come from Glasgow. You have brought some amazing

glamour to the proceedings. Are you here for a cocktail party? Yeah!

It's very exciting that they were so close. Who spoke to them? I asked

Prince Harry what he had bought the Queen for her birthday. What did he

say? He said he couldn't tell me, and then said it was something he

put in the ground. We think it's a tree. How lovely. Did anybody speak

to the Duchess of Cambridge, she had a lovely dress on, what did you

think of it? It was lovely, she looked really pretty. And a lovely

nude heel, I think that's the expression, and a neon, bond. You

have travelled a long way today. As it met with your expectations?

Better. Why has it been so wonderful? Because it's

once-in-a-lifetime that we will get, this one chance. Great answer, once

in a lifetime. Activist Doody. Those wonderful Glasgow girls. -- back to

the studio. Everybody dresses like that in Glasgow all the time. The

senior royals chatting with the crowd. I can still or people with

the day I met the Queen. When you meet members of the Royal family it

sticks with you and it feels like an event, Jenny? It is wonderful, and

it's amazing that we have such a diverse public, and the Queen unites

people somehow. You see everybody is excited about it. And she's very

giving as well, to give the way she does. Even on her real birthday, on

April 21, she worked with charities bringing attention to other things.

She was public again. Kriss Akabusi, it's an interesting week. On Tuesday

Wednesday, the Majesty the Queen and the Duke were up in Cardiff opening

the assembly there. We have had three days of celebration that will

come to an end to later today. There is the order of the Garter ceremony

tomorrow, and then Royal Ascot, which she has not missed in all her

years of being Queen. It is a schedule that would put off a 45

euros. 64 years she has been meeting the public. -- a 45-year-old. In all

the time she has not put a foot wrong. At 90, when most of us would

want to chill out, she's still going. In a few minutes the Queen

and Duke of Edinburgh will leave the palace to enjoy the day of

entertainment. Let's join Chris Hollins,

who is with some of the participants Down at Horse Guards Parade where we

had the Trooping of the Colour yesterday. We have the creative

director behind the parade, looking quite nervous in anticipation. It

was your idea, with the help of so many people. What's the theme?

Friendship, and celebrating all the patron's organisations coming

together. You have displayed various decades along the way. That's right,

looking at the Queen's rain through the various decades, and looking at

the various music and dancing that reflects that. Paddington Bear,

boats, your creative mind must have been working overtime. I was having

a creative day. Just introduced you to somebody taking part, Kevin

Alderton from the Blind Veterans UK. We are leading the Armed Forces

contingent and we are part of the blind Veterans pace sticking team.

What is that? It's a drill, a pacing drill, a piece of equipment to use

the measure of the pace, originally invented to measure the distance

between guns, and then it was turned into a sport. We decided it was a

great idea to put a veterans' team into place. If anyone is out of

step, then they will know about it. Blind Veterans UK, one of a number

of charities the Queen is patron of. What has it done for you? It has

turned my life around. Without them I wouldn't be here. It's that

realisation that there is a life after losing your vision. Anything

is achievable if you put your mind to it. That's what the guys are

doing today. Best of luck today. If I hear anybody screaming and

shouting if somebody is out of step, I will know it's you. Thank you to

Chris. In just a moment, the Royal

walkabout will be coming to an end. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

and Prince Harry will make their way to Admiralty Arch, ready

for the arrival of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness

the Duke of Edinburgh. The other Royals will make their way

to the Queen Victoria Memorial, where they will await this

afternoon's entertainment. I'm delighted to say that I've been

joined again by Katie Nicholl and Gyles Brandreth,

and also '60s supermodel Twiggy. Looking magnificent as ever. I have

been asking everybody today about their memories of meeting the Queen.

You have met her on a few occasions. I am very fortunate. What about the

first time? I was on Broadway doing a big George Gershwin musical and we

were invited to play the Royal variety show with the Queen present.

I did my Sunday matinee, got on the Concorde and flew to London. We

rehearsed on the Monday, did the show, and we did what became a very

famous tap dance in water. I promise I didn't splash the Queen! That's

when I first met her, she was lovely and charming as always. We all sing

in the national anthem, God bless our gracious Queen, and she really

is gracious. When you think of all the people that she meets, she's

always pleasant, always smiling and very gracious. She amazes me.

Throughout the years on other occasions you have met her, they are

so often to do with an industry that's a huge industry, the fashion

industry. To see her patronage and support of that. Absolutely. There

is a lot the Queen understands about trade in Britain. We can talk about

fashion... And we can see the Queen herself with the Duke of Edinburgh

coming out of the gates of Buckingham Palace. It's not green! I

think that's more fuchsia, magenta. She is so stylish. Standing up! We

can hear the crowds cheering for her. It's an Angela Kelly at and

they coped by Karl Ludwig -- and a coat. We like to call this the Queen

Mobil but it has a proper name, the state review. They used it recently

in Windsor. They can see everything and they can be seen. It's a

beautiful scene, The Mall parted almost like the red Sea with the

Queen and Duke waving and acknowledging hello to the tens of

thousands of people in the crowd today for The Patron's Lunch. The

Duke of Edinburgh is the Lord high Admiral, the highest title of

anybody associated with the Navy and he was an officer himself. They go

from the Queen Victoria Memorial, and at the base of it it has

Neptune, the God of the sea. They go along The Mall, and every single

lamp post on The Mall has a different lamp ship or galleon on

top of it. All the street furniture in The Mall has a nautical feel.

It's about half a nautical mile long, ending at Admiralty Arch,

leading you to Trafalgar Square where the great naval commander Lord

Nelson has his monument. I am glad to see that the Duke is

appropriately dressed for the weather. The Queen reaching out her

hand to see if it is raining, but this is as close as we have got to

sunshine. I hope I look as stylish when I am her age. You do, and you

will! They are waving always to the crowds, never to the cameras. They

are hot on this, they talk about this, not being celebrities. They do

not see themselves as that. Somebody said to me, when she first became

Queen, she went to Australia, millions turned out, and it would

have been corrosive if she had taken it for herself. She knows it is for

the position that she holds, and she never plays to the camera. If she

sees a camera, she ignores it. And we saw that, we were talking,

without being too flippant, at about the double act of the Queen and her

husband, on Friday, Gyles, as we were watching live pictures,

chatting about Her Majesty and her husband getting the top of the

steps, and they had a big task ahead of them at St Paul's, to sit through

this important Service of Thanksgiving. Just a little word

from the Duke, and turn they did, to wave to the crowd. , And they do it

together, William and Catherine, they are together as well. Once upon

a time, Prince Charles and Diana would do it on separate sides. Now

William and Catherine always go down together, they are a double act

again, they do not do it separately. In fact, they are really a trio,

William, Harry and Catherine. The charity behind this is their joint

charity, run by the three of them, it really is a family business. And

the role model that is these two, chatting to the crowd, he is calling

out! If only we could lip read! We would be at an advantage. There is

an element, you say it is interesting and it sounds entirely

credible, as you describe it, there is no playing to the cameras,

because that is not the business they are in, it is connecting with

the people. But so often I have read that the Queen says, I have

mentioned this to you before, Gyles, there is an element of being seen to

be believed. I once said performance, and you gave me a

kicking off. It is an appearance, not a performance. That is why there

are these strong, vibrant colours, she knows that she is a small

person, but up on the balcony she has to be seen, and that is why she

wears these vivid colours. Perfect colour for today, actually. She

wouldn't have known, when she decided what colour to wear, whether

it was going to be sunny or not. But on such a dull day, she just stands

out. Gyles, we were watching earlier today, you were giving us a short

history on the Mall, to call it a street does not cover it, this is a

ceremonial part of London. It was built as a ceremonial street for

this very purpose in order to enable people to actually see the monarchy,

and when it was designed, we were at the great seafaring nation. And

hence the idea of it being half a nautical mile, hence the idea from

the Victoria memorial with Poseidon, or Neptune, depending on whether you

are Greek or Latin in your gods of the sea! He said of the Mall, you

proceed down, and all those lamp posts, each one has a different

galleon. -- he sets off. Katie Nicholl, as you watch these

pictures, as a royal biographer, someone who very often appears as a

royal correspondent on overseas channels, in Australia, you're right

for Vanity Fair, American based magazine - all of these images, as

much as so many of us love to see them in Britain, goodness knows they

are still consumed with great fervour and engagement and interest

all around the world. Oh, absolutely, and sometimes I think

there is actually more interest overseas, particularly in America. I

work a lot in America, and the first question they ask me in America,

have you ever met the Queen? I think it's because they don't have a Royal

Family of their own. This is also brand Britain, and it is above the

politics. Forget the referendum, just celebrate Britishness, 1000

years epitomised here. In just a couple of minutes' time, when the

Queen and Prince Philip gets to the end of the Mall, we will be handing

over to Clare Balding, who is going to be the emcee dings. Now, this I

like! Did you say that?! Prince Philip just rattled on the roof of

that beautiful Range Rover and said, hurry up, you are going to slow!

That is something of the character of the man. I am not saying the

drive is a fool, but he doesn't suffer fools gladly. It is very

difficult to our a photographer, the Queen is patient, but with Prince

Philip, three shots, 30 seconds, you are out. And sometimes people say, I

should not say this, the Queen wears the crown, but he wears the

trousers. As you see, it is now moving at a slightly different pace

on the instructions of the Lord high Admiral himself! We know that he

turned 95 on Friday, do we know, you sometimes have a bit of an inside

steer, Gyles, did he raise a flute on Friday night? No, he is rather

against personal celebration. And one of the reasons that these people

are happy is that they do not think about themselves very much. The

Queen does this because it is her duty, but they are not

self-conscious, they will not look at newspaper coverage. They are just

doing what they feel they have to do. They got there and time, I

think. They are back on schedule. He has made sure of that. Of course,

he's does still ride. Is very good at protecting the Queen, he does see

that as his principal duty. If he sees a camera getting too close, he

will say, out of the way, and he wants the people to be able to see.

If the cameras get in a way, he will say, out of the way, it is the Queen

that people have come to see, out of the way! And this afternoon I think

people will be seeing what I can only refer to as a very British

spectacle. We have some rather quirky happenings in this parade,

which beautifully capture the flavour of Britain. And there we see

the Queen talking to her grandson. One of the reasons the Royal Family

has turned out in full today, Peter Phillips has been a major figure in

this. And the chair of the Patron's Lunch as well. And they do support

one another, this is a family, and this is a true family occasion,

children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, all on parade.

And why they were out doing that wonderful walkabout. Prince Harry,

Sir Stuart Edrington and all the rest welcoming the Queen, we can

handover to Clare Balding. Your Majesty, your role Highnesses,

my lords, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure in introducing

the chair of trustees for the patrons fund, Sir Stuart Edrington.

Your Majesty, your Royal Highness is, my lords, ladies and gentlemen,

it is such an honour to welcome you all here to the Mall. 10,000 of you

here joined by many more celebrating around the country. We are here

today to celebrate a unique lifetime of service, given Her Majesty's

commitment to so many important causes, it is right and fitting that

the biggest celebration event of her 90th birthday is dedicated to the

work of over 600 organisations and charities of which she is patron. It

is fantastic to see all of these organisations gathered together for

the first time in a true celebration of gratitude. From Diabetes UK to

the RNLI, the Royal British Legion to the Norfolk wildlife trust, the

children's trust, the Friends of Glasgow Cathedral. At the age of 21,

Her Majesty made a fateful promise to our country and uttered the

famous words, my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be

devoted to your service. Throughout her lifetime, she has held true to

this promise, demonstrating at every turn her care for people of this

nation and beyond. The fact that she has chosen to give so much of her

life to supporting charitable causes shows the importance she places on

the work that they do and the values that they exemplify. It is widely

held that her first Prime Minister who served Her Majesty, Sir Winston

Churchill, one said, you make a life by what you give. I think it is no

coincidence that we have such a strong charitable instinct in this

country, it is in no small part due to the example that Her Majesty has

set of service to others. Given this incredible support from people

across Britain and the Commonwealth, charities are making a difference to

millions of lives in our country and across the world. It is now an

honour to introduce His Royal Highness and joint president of the

Patron's Lunch, the Duke of Cambridge.

APPLAUSE Your Majesty, good afternoon,

everybody. Thank you so much for showing that the great British

public doesn't lead a little rain spoil a good day out.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE It means so much to see everybody

here today. Can I begin by thanking the organisers of this event,

especially my cousin Peter, for working so hard over the past year

to turn his vision of this separation into reality?

APPLAUSE Catherine, Harry and I, and the rest

of our family, are extremely proud to be here today. My family has had

plenty of reason to celebrate as the Queen turns 90 in April. The Queen's

strong health, relentless energy, her sharp wit and famous sense of

humour, and the fact that the Queen remains very much at the helm of our

family, our nation, and the Commonwealth. The Queen at 90 is the

one head of state that world leaders can turn to for a first-hand

perspective of the arc of history over the last six decades. At 90,

the Queen is the leader of our country, and we all look up to her

in good times and in challenging moments, to set an example and guide

the way ahead. But the reason we are here today is to celebrate a role

that matters just as much to the Queen as the one that she holds on

the world stage. We are here to celebrate the Queen is patron. Her

commitment to be more than 600 charities to which she lends her

name and support is unwavering. From national military and sporting

bodies to small local associations, to charities that champion children,

faith, education and arts, the Queen's pride in a role as your

patron is absolute. Through the Queen's association with you, she is

not just shining a spotlight on the individual causes you care about.

She is reminding us all that being active and engaged in society as a

virtue in its own right. Service to those around you is what unites you

will. So on behalf of my entire family, can I say thank you? You

have been partners in the Queen's service for so many years. And

before I finish, I hope you won't mind if I say a personal thank you

to the Queen. And to do so on behalf of all the grandchildren and

great-grandchildren. Granny, thank you for everything you've done for

your family. We could not wish you a happy birthday. And now it is my

honour to invite to the microphone Her Majesty The Queen.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE To everyone here today, and to those

holding street parties elsewhere, I would like to say thank you for the

wonderful support and encouragement that you continue to give to me. I

hope these happy celebrations will remind us of the many benefits that

can flow when people come together for a common purpose. As families,

friends or neighbours. And I pay tribute to the commitment,

selfless devotion and generosity of spirit shown by the hundreds of

charities and voluntary organisations represented here

today. You are an example to us all. I much appreciate the kindness in

all your birthday wishes, and have been delighted and moved by the many

cards and messages I have received. How I will feel if people are still

singing happy birthday in December remains to be seen! LAUGHTER

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Ladies and gentlemen, please now be

upstanding for the national anthem. just beginning the day's parade. We

didn't necessarily expect to hear from the Queen today. But she was

sacked the microphone. -- at she was at the microphone. Do you think

she's had it up to here with the birthday celebrations? Lovely to

have a little joke. She spoke from the heart. While Prince William was

talking about her, she never smiled, she never appears to appear as if

she's listening to what people are saying about when they are praising

her. It's not really done, the stiff upper lip might seem old-fashioned,

but these people have it. It's a wartime generation. One of the

reasons they are happy, one of the things people learned in the war,

being tested can make you happier. The sense of community spirit that

came about in the war can make you happy. Winston Churchill was evoked,

one of the Queen's mentors, her father's friend in the Second World

War. And there was a sense of community that in adversity made

people happy. The Queen had a happy life because she has made people

engaged, she has been engaged with charity and good works. Royal

biographer Katie Nicholl, among the few words the Queen used there, she

wanted to thank all the people from the 600 charities she was involved

in for their involvement. Thousands of people doing selfless work. It

might be a two-way street. As was the comment, you are an example to

us all. I was really surprised, I didn't expect her to take to the

stage and speak. She did and she spoke from the heart. Remember, some

of these patronage is, she has relations with for many years. There

is close relationship. There is not often the opportunity to say thank

you. And it is a family business. She's a patron for many of these

charities and another one might be president. It's a family

involvement. Behind the Queen and Prince Philip R William, Harry and

the Duchess of Cambridge, a very intriguing triple act. The Queen is

handing over more of her patron -- patronages to other royals. They are

very much the future and it's sending out a very clear message.

The Queen used to give out all the knighthoods and things, then Prince

Charles began doing it and Princess Anne was doing a few. Prince William

might well start be doing some as well. It's not necessarily something

on paper that might work, something like that, but goodness me, it does.

They very much relate to the younger generation. Not only in the UK, but

again, going to America. They love William and Kate, they are obsessed

with them. And now they have babies. I think the Queen and Prince Philip

realise that. It's like handing over the gauntlet. Harry spoke recently

about regarding the Queen has grandmother and bass. Possibly more

as the boss than the grandmother. -- and

boss. The Queen's speech was perfect. The Queen has a wonderful

sense of humour. Everyone was laughing. Again, this weekend. We

see in the pictures as they go up The Mall and they greet the crowds.

There is a bit of blue sky and sunshine now. We see the thread of

family which has always been at the heart of the effectiveness of the

Royal family. They present themselves as a family in all the

difficulties and colour and enjoyment. That's what we have seen

through this weekend, along with the idea of service, this very strong

ideal family. It has been known as the Royal family since the day of

Queen Victoria. More recently, in the Duke of Edinburgh's time, they

call it the family firm. They see it as a family business. It's in the

Dynasty business. These people go back to the reign of King Edgar more

than 1000 years ago. Check their DNA and you will find lurking in there

the kings and queens of England from before the first millennium. And the

sun is coming out. I always thought the gods were British, and now we

have proof. Tell me more about the wonderful Victoria monument we see

in gold leaf and marble. Until the present Queen, Queen Victoria was

our greatest monarch in the sense she was the longest serving monarch

and seen as the mother of the Empire. She became the first Empress

of India. The British Empire was at its height in Queen Victoria's Dave.

Her passing was the end of an era that for most people had been in

tyre life time. -- Queen Victoria's day. Back then Britain did rule the

waves. The genius of the present family is to adapt the modern family

to royal conditions. What I have seen through often this weekend is

the Ki taking it in, the images, and he turned around to look straight

down The Mall to see the tens of thousands of people. -- is the Duke.

We can chat about them, put them on Twitter and read about them in the

papers, but he seems to be somebody who is always enjoying it and taking

the time to appreciate it. He's engaged and living in a moment. And

he's also more royal than anyone else on parade today. He's the only

person there descended on royalty on both sides of the family. The

Queen's mother was aristocratic but not for oil. Both the Duke of

Edinburgh's parents are descended from Kings and Queens. He's the most

royal on parade. He's looking at the history of his family across

hundreds of years. The Duchess of Cambridge there, new blood. And he

really likes that new blood. They are following in the footsteps of

the grandparents. They the role models. Week will go back to Mel on

The Mall. I'm with J from near Truro in Cornwall. You are Cadet of the

year for the St John's ambulance. Congratulations. When were you told?

The beginning of April. What does that mean, do you have to go to the

Palace? Yes, I go and meet Anne at some point in the Palace. You must

be on good terms, just calling her Anne. She said of the youth branch?

She is head of the youth side, yes. Will you be wearing this absolutely

great outfit. I will be, yes. The Queen was in a similar neon green

yesterday for the Trooping of the Colour. I saw it. She is on Trent.

What have you done to make Cuba cadet of the year? -- on trend. I

was in a competition up against the best cadets around the UK. I was

interviewed, did a presentation, and we had a PR exercise. It was hard

and tricky but enjoyable at the same time. Do you know how to do all the

things, the heart pumping and mouth-to-mouth. I know how to do all

of that. I'm glad you are here, because if anything went wrong, you

would be on point. Thank you. One more thing, what are these used for,

these metal things? It's my Golden lanyard for winning cadet of the

year. It's quite heavy. Well done. So nice to meet you, lovely to have

you here. What a picture and you have in the Queen. Isn't she

amazing? She's very amazing. -- what a pleasure. She is very amazing,

that's how The Young Ones, speak, Gyles? She is a wicked! The sun is

out and people have the ponchos off. 12 and a half thousand available to

people coming along to London to enjoy the celebrations today. No

evidence of them now. People texting and tweeting saying they have just

met the Royal family! We are in St James's Park, on the lake, pretty

much in the Queen's front garden, is that fair, Katie? What a beautiful

view we've had. This palace has been the centrepiece of the celebrations.

We talked about the family earlier and the Duke's sense of spirit and

how engaged he's been with the celebrations. He looks like he's

enjoyed every minute of it. Particularly looking back and seeing

the crowds, particularly at 95. You get the impression he's not tired of

it. People out there like me remember the coronation. The first

time we watched television in black and white, and there was The Mall

full of people. The end of the Second World War marked in The Mall

with the crowds. There is the Royal box. Peter Phillips has done all the

organising. The Queen at the centre of events. The sun is coming out.

The Victoria Memorial is glinting. For those wondering where Prince

Charles and Camilla are, they are in Gloucestershire doing good works as

well today. It epitomise is what today is about, the younger people

and the generation beyond being brought forward. It's why the

procession with the cars was so important, sending out such a strong

message, this is the future. It's also teamwork, William, Harry and

Catherine, they are the new team on the block. And they look very

content. It's going very well. We see the Queen often at huge events,

and see her in repose. When you are 90 and in repose, you can look quite

serious. But seeing her today, she looks quite jolly, can I say that?

She looks jolly and relaxed. And they try to make other people feel

relaxed. I've had the privilege of being at a charity event and with

them in the Royal box. One of the disconcerting things is that the

Duke will chat through it. You are trying to look serious and watch the

show, and he will be talking to you, I have seen these people before and

so on. One event where Nelson Mandela appeared on stage and the

Duke said he wasn't going to wave at him because he just met him ten

minutes ago! On Her Majesty's actual birthday,

she unveiled a plaque marking the start of a walkway in Windsor. I

mentioned to viewers that wherever she has gone this year, people have

been singing Happy Birthday, it was a funny joke, but also a message,

after today, I am done with it? I think so, we have had a lot of

celebrations, there has been a lot of build-up to this, the public got

behind the celebrations in April, and now in June, and the Royal

Windsor Horse Show as well. She will want to put her feet up. Furiously,

she listens to the national anthem almost everyday of her life, and all

of you Royals knew the second verse, the Duke of Edinburgh knows all

seven. Debasing about the rebellious Scots to crash? -- did they sing

nobody sung that today! It does appear, it has been removed from the

Common prayers. We see people waving from the crowds, the wonderful

hampers that everybody is tapping into, you can see that it is almost

Tiffany blue that they are access arise with. They are not from

Tiffany, I should mention, but they are for people to tuck into all day,

they are full of delicious bits and bobs from around the United Kingdom,

the best that we have to offer. There is apple juice from the

Windsor, Scottish smoked salmon, all sorts of delicious things. And there

is Dame Esther Rantzen. The weather was bad, I think a lot of people

thought, let's have a Pimms and enjoy ourselves. Look at many young

people, that is wonderful. The Queen has remarked that one of the reason

she feel celebratory is that wherever she goes to something, it

is to see the positive side, there is a fresh coat of paint, people are

putting the best foot forward, and she feels she sees the best of the

United Kingdom by working with these charities. What we are looking

forward to, and what people are moving forward for, is this parade

that will reflect so much of the variety of British society, that is

what it is about. And I was watching some of the people dressed up, some

of the rehearsal earlier. It is going to be a feast for the eyes,

and in many ways quite unusual, and in many ways quite British, but it

is drawing together all those different threads of the world that

the Queen is interested in. We were speaking about fashion, farming,

horses, so much that we know, Katie Nicholl, that the Queen engages with

through her charities and through constantly meeting the people up and

down the British Isles and throughout the United Kingdom. A

great plethora of patronages and organisations that she is associated

with, and you were saying some and young people, that is so lovely

about today. There are 90-year-olds and nine-year-olds here today,

everything from Doubts to Chelsea Pensioners. Happy birthday to Doreen

from Workington, we are going over to Clare, good afternoon, Clare.

Ladies and gentlemen, the sun has come out, and it is time to party

and the Mall! We are in celebratory mood, reflecting the choreography

and the colour of the parade you are about to say, all in celebration of

Her Majesty the Queen. Over the next hour, you are going to witness a

kaleidoscope of over 300 dancers, a harmony of 400 musicians, a sea of

banners, ribbons and feathers, some friendly bears, a cycling cow, I

promise you, a pig on a bicycle as well. They will represent over 600

charities and organisations, of which the Queen is patron.

Leading your parade this afternoon, please welcome the musicians from

the southern highlanders pipes and drums, playing a medley of songs

from the 1950s, including well-known classics such as Green Hills,

Scotland The Brave, and Bluebells. Today's lone piper is James rowdy

from Scots Care. Following them are dancers from the Royal Academy of

dance, performing a specially choreographed nautical routine. They

are going to be dancing all the way around the parade, so do give them

your support as they pass by! Represented here are community,

civic and social groups, Commonwealth and the sea. And

amongst the sea shells and starfish, you will recognise the Royal Yacht

Britannia, which served the Royal Family from 1953 to 1997. As the

parade starts, please give them a huge round of applause as they make

their way down the Mall! Gyles, let's just talk about the

Royal Yacht Britannia and its representation, right at the start

of the parade. Many people will remember that it was decommissioned,

I would say the only time when we have really think we have seen the

Queen shed a tear, so many memories were tied up with that vessel. It

was very controversial, the Queen and Prince Philip were disappointed

that the Government at the time could not afford to have another

Britannia built, because it was not only a place they went to an

official trips, but also a safe haven. They used to travel around

the British Isles and to be private, it was a little cocoon for them.

And, really, what a beautiful scene that is, we see the colour, that

beautiful depiction of the decommissioned Royal Yacht

Britannia, which, as Gyles was saying, was a place of haven, a

cocoon for the Royal Family. We wonder what memories might be

occurring to them as they sit watching it, as it comes through the

sea people and towards them. But certainly, the sun is out, London is

celebrating, and we are sure that across the UK people are holding

their own bodies and raising a glass to Her Majesty. It is very special,

it started with Britannia, and it will bring all sorts of memories

back. This was quite deliberate, Peter Phillips said he wanted it to

be in the opening sequence to bring back those memories, some of the

happiest times for the family, they could get away from it all and be

back together as a family. The structure has been made out of kite

technology, they have not done a bad job. I bet there will be a wry

remark from the Duke of Edinburgh as he sees this, that there was not any

real Britannia, this is what we are reduced to! This is what we have

been left with. Doesn't look shipshape to me! It looks pretty

splendid, and we have pupils from the Royal Academy of And is

representing the waves in front of Britannia. Over to Mel, who has a

special guest. I am here with the inimitable, the one and only Esther

Rantzen, in a very fine pair of dongle is. I am known for my dongle

is! Look, I can wiggle them. That is very good, Esther Rantzen!

is! Look, I can wiggle them. That is very good, Esther Can I say

congratulations, you received your damehood last year from the Queen,

how was that? That was amazing, it was due to some of the hard work of

people here today, and I am shining in their reflected glory. You set up

ChildLine 30 years ago, what an amazing achievement. More than 4

million children helped, so generations of staff and volunteers

have made that possible. But it is wonderful for me, I can go around

the country, I can meet them and learner stories and discover what a

difference ChildLine has made. It is inspirational, it keeps me going.

Are you having a lovely time today? We are having... We have got

everything, pouring rain, hampers with pork pies and sandwiches in.

You can get to the loo without too long a queue, which for some of my

generation is quite important. You don't know about this. I do, I do!

And all in the shadow of the palace, and every now and then extraordinary

people walk by, some members of the Royal Family, some of them carrying

threatening looking bagpipes, all good news. Really nice to talk to

you, back to Kirsty. Esther and dongles, just raising the tone.

Katie Nicholl from the Mail on Sunday, we were talking about Peter

Phillips, one of the Queen's grandchildren, about the

organisation to do with the beautiful boat that we are watching

coming of the Mall, explaining the technology behind it. There have

been times and there have been moments when people have wondered

whether or not this picnic was a very good idea, but there can be no

question about the fact that, for Peter Phillips, it has been a

gargantuan task of organisation. He was throwing an all nighter last

night, I just finished up last night, everything was just starting.

They worked through the night to get everything finished from Trooping,

and the whole stage setup. The tent that they have to put up, usually it

would take two or three days, but they had 11 hours. And can you

imagine the clear up operation after? I don't even want to think

about it! Back to Clare Balding. We move onto the Swinging 60s, get

ready to let it all go and sing along with the London Community

Gospel Choir, performing, With A Little Help From My Friends and

other 1960s classics. They are followed by the Royal Academy

dancers, entertaining us all with a routine inspired by the flower power

generation of that year. And amongst the flowers and houses, you might be

able to spot the Trellix tower, Centerpoint, and the royal festival

hall. They are reflecting faith, the built environment and architecture.

Keeping time and keeping tune wonderfully, songs being Sam Byram

60 members of the London Community Gospel Choir. -- being sung by. They

are certainly in fine voice today, Twiggy. I can't help but

immediately... This is about 19 -- 1960s, I do not know if they are

invoking the spirit. They have got the boot is! And they wear them

well. Oh, it is just wonderful. The fire is fabulous. I love the girls

strutting their stuff in there manys. Remember those? I remember

them well! You are not supposed to remember the 1960s if you were

there. I was so straight, it was boring. It is because I was so

young. And that is why you look the way you look, because you were so

straight! When I went to Paris for the first time, the waiter said,

what would you like to drink? I was 16, I said, a soft drink, doing

their job for an American magazine, he said, what a vintage? Marched

away in disgust! Gyles, let's talk about the ptpers.

Twiggy and I have mentioned how we enjoy a man in a kilt! The Queen

regularly has a piper playing for 15 minutes outside the window to get

her going in the morning at Buckingham Palace and Balmoral.

We are now watching the parade, the 60s are being honoured. We should

remind people that the Beatles were honoured with MBEs in 1965 to

receive their medals. They were then photographed on possibly their most

famous album cover ever, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

People who were at the centre of that democratising 60s culture.

Princess Margaret Rosemary as a child, she was one of the figures of

the swinging 60s with her husband, Lord Snowdon, very much the swinging

60s, dressing the part. Beautiful photographs, wonderful photographer.

And I had the pleasure of meeting her, so beautiful. Twiggy, she was a

stunning beauty in her day, Princess Margaret. Absolutely. Cultural

historians look back to the 60s and the way it is quantified is, it was

the beginning of the meritocratic approach to society. Did you