Thousands of people dressed in the Union Jack (British flag) in different formats –hats, glasses, t-shirts, boots, tattoos, flags– crowd the streets of London this Thursday at the start of the planned celebrations for 70 years on the throne of Queen Elizabeth II.
From early in the morning, heterogeneous groups of citizens and tourists have flocked to different places in the capital to participate in the varied program of recreational acts in order to pay tribute to His Majesty, although anti-monarchist groups have also been seen, to a lesser extent, taking advantage of the day to proclaim their rejection of the Institution.
However, in the central London avenue The Mall there is no room for doubt. Thousands of citizens, of all nationalities, have gathered with the same message: to honor the legacy of Elizabeth II, on the 70th birthday of her reign.
The festivities have started this Thursday morning with the so-called Trooping the Colour, the colorful parade of the British regiments. The royal guards, in their red uniforms and tall black hats covered by bearskin, have started their journey from Buckingham Palace to the cavalry regiment's headquarters, Horse Parade.
The guards have paraded through The Mall, which links the palace with Whitehall (the government area), decorated with large British flags and where a large crowd has gathered. The music of this event is played by the bands of the foot guards and the cavalry band, together with the so-called Corps of Drums. It is estimated that about 400 musicians participate.
Once in the parade ground of Horse Parade, the parade will be attended by Prince Charles, heir to the crown, to greet the regiments on behalf of his mother, who remains at Buckingham Palace due to her mobility problems. .
This show is expected to last almost three hours, after which Elizabeth II will go out on the palace balcony to greet the crowd gathered there along with the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine.
During the salute, military aircraft will fly low over central London and the palace before the Red Arrows, the aerobatics team, display the colors of the Union Jack.
For their part, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, will not be with the monarch in the traditional greeting from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
According to local media, Enrique and Meghan, who left the Royal House in 2020, will follow the parade from a balcony of Horse Parade, but later they will not be on the balcony where the queen will greet the crowd gathered before the official residence of The Royal Family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who reside in California (USA), have traveled to London with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
A recent opinion poll released by the firm YouGov on the occasion of the Jubilee indicates that 62% of British citizens support the monarchy, 22% are in favor of an elected head of state, while 16% "do not know ".
Another poll released this week by Ipsos-Mori points out, in a similar vein, that 68% are in favor of the Monarchy compared to 22% who favor the option of the republic and 10% who "do not know".
However, among those opposed to the Monarchy, this Thursday the Republic group assumes all the spotlights, which is campaigning to abolish the Institution and replace the figure of the Queen with that of an elected head of state. The group has erected a gigantic poster, funded by crowdfunding campaigns across the country, with a revealing slogan: "Let's make Elizabeth II the last (queen)".
