With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration just a little over a month away, some of the details from the celebration have been announced. And, well, it all sounds a little weird…
Sunday June 5th will mark a day of “national celebration”, culminating the Queen’s platinum jubilee weekend with a pageant honouring her remarkable, unprecedented reign of this country.
A “people’s pageant”, featuring a number of “national treasures” has been organised to ensure the Queen knows just how much the country loves her. Everyone’s favourite singer, Ed Sheeran, will lead the musical side of the tribute, while Basil Brush is among the distinguished treasures chosen to take part.
A giant, 20-foot puppet of the Queen is to be erected for the parade, as are some of her Corgis. As strange as this sounds, why a dragon, other “three-storey-high beasts”, Bollywood anthems and flying BMXers are also on the programme is even more confusing.
In total, 10,000 people are expected to participate in the event, against the backdrop of Buckingham Palace. 6,000 will be volunteers – made up of ‘key workers, trained performers and members of the public.’
On top of the furry ginger and Basil Brush, others involved include Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Shirley Bassey, Kate Moss, Jeremy Irons, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Gary Lineker, Rosie Jones, Kadeena Cox, Alan Titchmarsh, Heston Blumenthal, James Martin, Bill Bailey and Gok Wan.
The event will be divided into four acts: For Queen and Country, The Time of Our Lives, Let’s Celebrate, and Happy and Glorious. The first section will feature close to 2,000 people and 200 horses, in what is said to be one of the largest military parades in history.
The original Basil Brush
The second act explores seven decades of pop culture, with everything from Bond to mods to hippies set to be involved.
Let’s Celebrate will look at the Queen’s own personal life, while Happy and Glorious consists of Sheeran the national anthem. Spiffing.
I wonder if anybody’s asked her what she wants? Poor thing is 96 and will have to endure all this. “This is very much a ‘people’s pageant’: it’s by and for the people,” were the words of David Zolkwer, the show’s director. It seems it should very much be a Queen’s pageant, but that ship has clearly sailed. Fear not – they’re still holding some stuff back as a surprise!
