Pageantry brings jubilee to climax

The queen travelled to St Paul's in a golden carriage

LONDON, England -- Huge crowds cheered Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday as she travelled across London in a golden carriage for a service of thanksgiving to mark 50 years on Britain's throne.

The queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, left Buckingham Palace on Tuesday morning in the same golden carriage that took her to her coronation in 1953.

The 35-minute ceremonial procession took the queen and duke to St. Paul's Cathedral, via The Strand and The City, for a thanksgiving service with the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. George Carey.

The queen was dressed for the occasion in a light blue suit with matching hat. The Duke of Edinburgh was dressed in full naval uniform.

Their eldest son, Prince Charles, and daughter, the Princess Royal, rode on horseback with the procession, also in uniform.

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The procession was led by other senior royals in three open, horse-drawn carriages carrying, among others, the Duke of York, Princes William and Harry and Princess Beatrice.

At Temple Bar, the boundary of the City of London, the Lord Mayor, Alderman Michael Oliver, performed the 900-year-old ceremony of offering the queen the City's Pearl Sword before proceeding to St Paul's Cathedral where she was greeted with a new arrangement of the National Anthem.

In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: "We give thanks, Your Majesty, for your devotion and your dedication over 50 extraordinary years. And we offer in return our respect, our admiration and, yes, our love."

He added: "Yours, as many have noted, has been a reign in which change and innovation have been watchwords. And yet we sense, indeed we know, in you an abiding constancy, anchored in a profound commitment to service.

"In your commitment to service, we have seen not the denial of life but its rich and glorious affirmation.

"And from your elevated and noble position how greatly you have served! Yours was a vocation which you did not seek; it was a task to which you were anointed.

"It came to you at an age when few people are ready to assume burdens of responsibility, even far lighter ones. It was, as you have publicly acknowledged, required of you, not just by your people but by God."

He made reference to the deaths earlier this year of both the queen's mother and her sister.

"Of course, an abiding commitment to faithful service does not make life simple or easy. Indeed, there comes with it a recognition that none of us is immune from suffering and pain, whatever our role or place in the world.

"Even now, your jubilee is tinged with sadness, in the absence of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, whom we remember today with affection and gratitude."

After the 55-minute service, the royal couple were driven to the Guildhall in a new State Bentley, presented to the queen to mark her Jubilee.

At the Guildhall lunch, up to 700 guests, including VIPs and schoolchildren, will hear queen and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair make speeches.

The Bentley replaced the State Gold Coach, built in 1762 for King George III and subsequently used in every coronation since 1831.

The queen and Duke of Edinburgh at the service in St Paul's

It was used by the queen during her Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977. (Golden coach fit for a queen)

Among the crowds was Keith Sullivan, 38, a builder from Basildon, Essex, outside London, who was dressed in a union jack shirt. (Jubilee in quotes)

He told the Press Association: "I just wanted to be here to soak up the atmosphere, just to say that I was there. It's a fun day and she is someone we can be proud of."

Waving both the union flag and her national flag was Sophie Charlton, 27, of Brisbane, Australia.

She told PA: "It is a wonderful celebration. I am celebrating the queen's 50 years and it has been a wonderful 50 years. She is an incredible woman and a great inspiration."

Although the focus of the celebration is on London, in New York the Empire State Building was lit up in royal purple and gold to celebrate the Golden Jubilee.

Empire State Building spokesman Howard Rubenstein told PA: "It is a tribute to her reign and the ongoing friendship between our two nations."

Prince's Harry and William were among those at the service

The procession and accompanying pageantry bring four days of celebrations around the British Commonwealth to a climax, and follows an extraordinary pop concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace in central London. (Full story)

The culmination of the spectacle will be a fly-past later in the day of RAF jets, the Red Arrows and Concorde over the palace.

On Monday the cream of the pop world paid tribute to the 76-year-old monarch with a deafening concert for 12,000 revellers at Buckingham Palace.

"We feel proud of you; proud and grateful for everything you have done for your country and the Commonwealth over 50 extraordinary years," her son and heir Prince Charles said in an emotional tribute after the concert. (Text of prince's tribute).

The jubilee celebrations have not been disrupted by a fire at Buckingham Palace on Sunday night when the roof above the East Gallery was badly damaged. (Full story)