BBC - The Queens Platinum Jubilee - Trooping the Colour

[Music] a very good morning thank you for joining us and welcome to st james's park in london surrounded by horse guards parade the mao and of course buckingham palace the ceremonial heart of the capital and the perfect place to begin a four day long celebration of her majesty the queen's platinum jubilee here and all across the united kingdom and the nations of the commonwealth millions of people are poised to mark what is a truly historic moment pageantry pomp fly pass marching bands rock royalty actual royalty beacons of light street parties parades you won't miss a moment of the fun as we celebrate the queen's historic and remarkable achievement earlier this year on the 6th of february her majesty became the first british monarch to reign for 70 years a momentous personal milestone for our head of state and the first time that we have witnessed a platinum jubilee a moment then for the whole of the united kingdom and the commonwealth to come together say thank you ma'am and frankly have a bit of a party here in central london we're expecting hundreds of thousands of people to descend on the capital over the course of this long bank holiday weekend it's already started as you can see and remarkably the british weather appears to have got the memo because the sun is shining for now so let me give you just a little round up of what to expect over the coming days this morning we are heading to horse guards parade where for the first time in three years we'll witness the full splendor of trooping the colour the queen's birthday parade this evening as dusk falls it's the lighting of the beacons there will be thousands of them a flame across the four corners of the united kingdom and beyond to the commonwealth it promises to be quite a spectacle tomorrow morning we'll be heading east along the river thames to saint paul's cathedral where the queen and the royal family will attend a national service of thanksgiving and on saturday evenings settle down in your front row seat for the platinum party at the palace a world-class who's who of superstar performers will take to the stage and buckingham palace itself will play a spectacular part in that show then finally on sunday a jubilee pageant a carnival on the mall with 10 000 people bringing to life the seven decades of the queen's reign so do stay with us for live and exclusive coverage of what's set to be a unique and wonderful few days this morning then is about trooping the color the annual queen's birthday parade the grand processional route starts just behind us at buckingham palace and then leads to the iconic square of horse guards parade the stage for today's military spectacle well hugh edwards is taking us through the proceedings 70 years ago in june 1952 the royal family gathered here to watch a new queen take part in the birthday parade her first as sovereign this room steeped in history the office once occupied by the duke of wellington but the window is a great vantage point over horse guards parade and today the family will be back here watching the ceremony of trooping the color to mark the queen's official birthday in the year of the platinum jubilee it's a great site and this year's event is unmatched in so many ways as kirsty was saying uh the crowds gathering here at horse guards in lovely sunshine all the surrounding area millions watching at home all paid tribute to the longest reigning monarch in british history a real sense of expectation ahead of this opening event of the jubilee weekend at horse guards now the parade will start at 11 o'clock sharp but there'll be lots to see before then it's led by the irish guards this year along with hundreds of other troops of the household division not forgetting the magnificent sight and sound of the mast bands so in a short while the royal party will be making that familiar journey along the mall by tradition decked in union flags such an impressive site from buckingham palace to horse guards the prince of wales today is set to take the salute on the queen's behalf that is a first but we do expect to see her majesty on the palace balcony to greet the crowds later on we'll be back in a few minutes but for now let's rejoin kirsten thanks you morphine hugh later now i'm going to be joined in the studio this morning by quite a few familiar faces who share their thoughts and experiences of meeting the queen and who better to be our first guest than sir michael palin and dane penelope keith we are so delighted that you could join us um i'm wondering as you listen to the marching bands you've seen the crowds presumably as i did as i came in this morning it is a unique moment and it's to celebrate a unique life michael yeah i mean it is extraordinary what we're celebrating really and i think that why i'm here is just because i think the queen herself has done an amazing job i mean i think for 70 years to remain not part of well totally part of my life part of the country's life to represent the country to keep the country's values going i think she's done extremely well you know so there you are i can hear people cheering and shouting i think they're actually like you they must have heard you they agree i don't want to get them along my family my extended family are here quiet please uh same penelope a job well done and then some oh and the rest yes what do you think it is that the queen brings to the job that resonates with so many people i think humanity and she seems to care a lot about everybody and humor as well that wonderful smile people who know her well i i've read it said that she takes the job seriously but she doesn't take herself too seriously that's an interesting thought i think it is i think that's the great secret of life and she's got it in spades and i think what she's got is you know she has to do this job where she's got to be friends with everybody but you know she mustn't be give favors to anyone group so she's she's got to have a kind of benevolent neutrality for everybody which i think is a hard thing to achieve and she does it well that's a kind of unity and positivity isn't it and there's a there's a lot of the opposite about i mean i wonder today as i was coming in there were four young women behind me speaking in american accents and they all had their little you know the cut out faces of the queen which i presume they're now hearing and i i was i said to them why are you here you know they come from minneapolis the four of them and they said well it's it's the queen it's her it's what she represents i thought it's extraordinary that she resonates not just with us sitting here of a certain vintage but with 17 and 18 year olds from minneapolis that's an extraordinary it's continuity isn't it in this changing world so many things have changed and yet there she is unchanging and also because because she's sort of above politics i think in the world today political leaders political ideas dominate and and worry a lot of people and a lot of people feel politicians are inadequate whereas the queen manages to represent something beyond that which is just basic values tolerance understanding communication worrying about the environment she she her values are respected around the world i think penelope she makes i mean people often say don't they she doesn't put a foot wrong she makes not putting a foot wrong seem rather straightforward but of course it's a very very tricky thing yes a nightmare i would imagine and imagining that she has welcomed 112 different people to state visits the sort of people that she's had to be seamlessly polite to and unendingly generous and elegant to that's quite a task i think she must be a supreme actress you said it i do i think you know all these people coming yet another person hello what's your name how very nice i'd want to bang my head against the wall after all that but um she clearly doesn't i don't think you know but also as kirsty said i mean some people she you can't like everybody and there must be some regimes that she's had to welcome that she's not particularly attracted to there must be we can only speculate on that one um her statement this morning was talking about let's look forward to the future with confidence and enthusiasm this is a woman who very much we hear about living in the moment she's an absolute example of that she's able to live in the moment and we're going to spend some time looking back and indulging in a bit of nostalgia but michael i don't think she particularly is that kind of person no i don't think so i don't think there's any point which she has said right that's it i've done that i'm not doing any more which a lot of us would feel you know about our busy lives and all that but the busy life seems to offer her opportunities and and i think one thing that the queen has which i i've always admired is a curiosity i mean she does seem to be interested in people what they're all doing it's not a sort of false face it is a face of genuine concern and that keeps her going we shall chat later for now thank you very much um the celebrations for the jubilee then of course started a few months ago in february on the precise anniversary of the queen's accession back in 1952 but today is the first day of the official platinum jubilee weekend it is a huge event the united kingdom and preparations have been underway for a good few months [Applause] quite soon this will be covered in bunching i hope you can't have a decent street party without lots of bunting darth vader classic we've been honored to make the official nhs beacon i think we're all hugely excited here at saint paul's my visual under this balloon under a picture of the queen will definitely be very surprising there's a couple of moments that are death-defying yeah a scale of one to ten very excited the idea is that we show a personal side of the queen we've got 200 dancers in the 50s section all volunteers it's quite complicated to put something this scale together it's it's a once in a lifetime opportunity we're getting hard practice done right now attitude attitude hopefully we've got to the right place at the right time we've got a fantastic mobile stage which is going to be full of acrobats break dancers i'm the deacon that's going to like the beacon i'm just currently planting this jubilee bed i'm secretly quite enjoying it although the stress levels are quite high it's a big opportunity to get all back together and have one great big party and celebrate the jubilee so plenty to look forward to over the next four days we can take a little look at what's happening on the mall they are the guards in their bare skins marching putting on a show before the show even starts there they are on their way to horse guards parade and what a fine day it is for it and as we see there are the crowds too um dane penelope keith let's then indulge in just a little bit of nostalgia i think we're allowed um let's look back to coronation day what are your do you have distinction yes i do what are your memories my memories i was at school i was at boarding school and i think we had the weekend off i can't remember which day of the week it was and my mother and stepfather were living in a small hotel in putney i can remember but we had a television and i can remember vividly every time the national anthem was played i stood up you're around about 11 12 years old i was 12. you were 12. no yes 12 12 did you have the neighbors in to watch no no because we we were in between houses i see so we were staying in this hotel and so no i was just there with my mother i'm standing up and there we are looking at the pictures there of the state coach why quite a thing if you imagine that this was not just post-war london but post-war britain this moment of glittering glamour in the middle of what was a very dusty and difficult time for the united kingdom yes i think that was the thing they've been through two world wars remember you know their parents had seen two world wars and what they wanted was stability of some kind and of course the interesting thing was that george vi was quite a frail man at the time yes i remember he had a stammer and my father had a stammer there was that feeling of what was going to happen to the monarchy how was it going to deal with it and then after his death these two young people other glamorous young people take over and and you know there's a spiritual sort of charge goes through the country i think in a way that the future is this is going to be the future the past which has been very dismal and very drab and very difficult because now you know sort of we've had that we're going we're going to look forward i think that was part of it but i i remember my mother was in tears when the king died because he'd been such a beacon of hope oh the cheers isn't it wonderful he'd been such a beacon during the second world war visiting you know all the bomb sites and this that and the other and i think a lot of people were absolutely shattered by the fact that he died but as michael says there was hope and suddenly there was this excitement my mother took me up to the mall i can remember and she like me not good at standing very much and said i think we're going to have to sit down and i looked around for a chair of course they weren't in it and she sat said no come on we'll sit on the pavement and i was shocked because in 1953 you didn't sit on paper but i sat down with me i imagine you wouldn't do it now anyway not just i'm a bit taller than i want the idea of this i mean when we were just watching there those glorious pictures of the coronation this glittering fresh young woman a 25 year old mother of two as she was at the time it marked a great change from those war years when it was older dusty stressed out men who were doing it she she she carried with her something of the future yes she walked down westminster abbey yes i think yes i do think but what one must remember also it was still drab london yes um things were still on rational which is extraordinary isn't it michael you were what round about nine the coordination is that right um that's around about nine nine or ten yes yeah yeah what are your memories of the day i can just remember feeling you know a bit embarrassed that we didn't have a television trying to get my father to get a television it was this great event so we had to find some neighbor had a television and and remember cramming into a very small room and and seeing the whole ceremony this glorious ceremony in black and white of course yes on a very small screen yes i mean now today you're going to have wonderful shots of amazing pageants theory and all that but then it was just you had to kind of peer into a almost a match box to see it but it was exciting it was it was raining sorry because it was raining yeah well yeah don't forget that yes i know i'm so everyone was in covered carriages apart from queen salute and you as you watched it you were one of 27 million people apparently just in britain who watched it that week just in that room actually yeah it's just under 20 minutes until the queen's birthday parade gets underway we can already see the guards there they are in their famous red tunics and bearskins marching down the mall towards horse guards let's join hugh in the coventry box kirsty great typing by you because uh all of the foot guard regimental bands are on their way and they'll be including the scots guards leaded great style by the senior drum major gareth chambers and he has the responsibility for leading the mass bands along the parade ground today a great responsibility making sure they all move as one and as you can imagine that takes a lot of discipline and also great musicianship to achieve the standards that they are famous for it's a day to enjoy color i suppose drill music grand spectacle all of those things and we're witnessing a great tradition today as well because we have to go back to 1748 for the first mention of the sovereign's birthday being honoured with a military display [Music] you'll notice that uh along the way we'll be mentioning the queen's official birthday because the queen's actual birthday is in april she was 96 in april this year but past monarchs with birthdays in those horrible winter months decided to celebrate when the weather was a bit better so early june is the time of the official birthday every year and each one a reminder of the sovereign's bond with her personal troops queen elizabeth ii leaves buckingham palace for the most spectacular event of the royal year trooping the color ladies and gentlemen [Music] when prince philip and i were married on this day 50 years ago britain had just endured six years of war emerging battered but victorious prince philip had served in the royal navy in the far east while i was grappling in the ats with the complexities of the combustion engine and learning to drive an ambulance with care [Music] [Applause] it is a tradition a very long standing the sovereign and members of the royal family are intimately associated with the armed forces and have been proud to serve in all three services we have special connections with particular commands of the royal navy and royal marines corps and regiments of the army and our stations of the royal air force as the daughter wife and mother of naval officers i recognize the unique demands our nation asks of you and i will always value my special link with hms queen elizabeth her ships company and their families [Music] the wartime generation my generation is resilient and it is with humility and pleasure on behalf of the entire country indeed the whole free world that i say to you all thank you [Applause] [Music] well i'm joined now by air chief marcel marshall sir stuart peach a former chief of the defense staff and lieutenants colonel nana chamusi ankara who's a former equity to the queen welcome to you both you look splendid may i say thank you sir stuart if i can come to you first of all a daughter a wife and a mother of naval officers her majesty the queen this is not just a ceremonial role this is one gets a sense deeply personal to her her connection with the military she's our commander-in-chief and so for thousands of servicemen both in the united kingdom and across the commonwealth she's respected in that role and her love of the military is well known her links to the military are extremely deep and very meaningful not just in the uk but across that great commonwealth and how does that meaning reflect itself in her personal interactions because she is a lady that you have met on many occasions and in many different circumstances she's very knowledgeable right she knows a lot about military affairs and the the habits customs and traditions of all of the armed forces of this country and many others and that when you meet her that knowledge is very much to the fore she always asks extremely pertinent and timely questions this is fascinating because of course she is known as reader number one in her red box she holds the secrets of the world and has access to every paper at every level level about military intelligence and all sorts of things so when you have spoken to her she's clearly a lady who has covered her brief understands a lot about the world there's no one else in the world who knows all of the leaders over all of that time yes and so she keeps us on our toes whether we're in serving or indeed in command or indeed just meeting on a visit now i i've been called i can call you ta is that right you're known by ta first of all it's your 10th wedding anniversary today is that right yes and you had a baby two days ago yes that is true and yet you're still sitting here with shoes polished looking utterly splendid so thank you for taking the time thank you very much for having me here equerry to the queen that was your previous role explain to me what that actually means so a manchester query is a member of the armed forces who accompanies her majesty both in public and private duties so i would accompany her majesty through her everyday working environment at buckingham palace or say at windsor castle and then also a company her majesty um when she was in private residence as well now you said a query and i said equity i'm presuming you're correct i'm going to change the way i say it no no it's a very personal role it is a very prestigious role it is given to people who are greatly trusted and greatly respected what is the moment for you if you can pick one i don't know if you can that stands out as something you're particularly proud of now it's uh i was very fortunate to have been selected as an aquarium and that was done from a wide cohort of army officers at that time one thing i should stress is that i took over from an raf officer and i hand it over to a royal marine officer so it goes amongst the services but i think one of the moments which really stands out with from her majesty uh myself i do believe was um when she spoke uh during the covet uh epidemic and showed true leadership and it was so uplifting for the country her majesty was was wonderful on that particular occasion it was marvelous and i was then very fortunate to then accompany her majesty um of laying down a bouquet of flowers uh in westminster abbey as well uh during the pandemic so that was wonderful as i understand it i mean you're close enough to you're probably not going to answer this question you have spent christmas at sandringham am i right i knew you wouldn't he said he won't talk about that it's far too personal but it just gives us an idea of how closely personal that role is i think it is an incredibly personal role uh as you find with lots of her majesty's uh other close uh members of hamashi's court and then also her majesty's office as well you have seen active service in both iraq and afghanistan yes i've served operations in iraq and i also served on three occasions in afghanistan actually quite interestingly on finishing my appointment as a query i then went on operations back to afghanistan right that's real light and shade isn't it what a fascinating life well thank you to both of you for taking the time today for sharing your intimate memories and knowledge of the queen we are very grateful for that we hope you have a wonderful jubilee thank you thank you now princess elizabeth was only a young woman of 25 of course when she became queen taking a lifelong vow of duty and service for almost everyone in the country she has been a constant in our lives and has touched hearts around the world throughout the weekend we are going to be hearing messages from some well-wishers a few of them may look familiar when you're president of the united states you meet a lot of remarkable people and you try under all circumstances to maintain your composure but that's harder than you think when you're visiting her majesty before i took office michelle and i hadn't been to too many palaces so we weren't sure what to expect on our first trip to buckingham but we shouldn't have been worried her majesty put us at ease with her grace and generosity so much so that i walked away thinking she actually reminded me a little bit of my grandmother and in the years since i'd like to think her majesty and i have formed a special relationship of our own certainly i can say that getting to know her was one of the great privileges of my years in office and i learned so much from seeing the example she set for all of us who have the privilege to serve your majesty it would be an understatement to say the world has changed a bit in the seven decades since you first came to power but your character never has your steadfast stewardship of one of our most important democracies has made the world safer and more prosperous through war and peace times of adversity and times of prosperity your life has been a gift not just to the united kingdom but to the world and it is with gratitude for your leadership and the kindness that you've shown me and my family that i say may the light of your crown continue to reign supreme your life has been a gift to the uk and the world the words there of president barack obama well it is almost time then for the irish guards to troop their color we're going to head back going to go down the mall to horse guards parade where hugh will take you through this year's platinum jubilee military display enjoy kirsty thanks enjoyment is guaranteed on a day like this the greatest honor in the birthday parade is to provide the escort for the color and in the year of the platinum jubilee that honor goes to the first battalion irish gods regiment founded back in 1900 the fourth regiment of foot guards in order of creation you look carefully tunic buttons in groups of four and the emblem of irish heritage with the blue plume of st patrick uh on the basket and uh led very ably and in a very distinguished way by the mascot you'll see in a little more detail later on but uh sheamus is very happy to be on the mall heading towards the parade the irish cars last shoot their color here in 2017 and this year they'll be proudly trooping a new color which was presented to them by their colonel the cambridge at windsor castle just over a fortnight ago crowd of many thousands tucked into the parks around uh buckingham palace and of course a huge crowd of many thousands in these stands selected by the royal british legion um people who have been lucky in the ballot for seats here where the concert will be held of course on saturday night the queen has decided to watch the parade at buckingham palace today she is expected to appear on that famous balcony to inspect the troops as they return and to greet the crowds force all along the route some of the unsung heroes of the day the 200 also streetliners led by 10 officers from the first battalion cold stream guards and here at horse guards a crowd of maybe 8 000 people including friends and families of those on parade everyone delighted to be back here after two years at windsor because of the copic restrictions we're live on bbc one with expert guests if you want the basic coverage use the red button and after the parade don't forget a huge cypress fly past the tri service flight past 70 aircraft for that birthday tribute we've seen the star participant for many people there he is spotlight assured the mascot turlo moore to give him his formal name the irish will found known as sheamus from day to day is handlers drummer adam walsh he's been speaking to my colleague jj charles yes i'm down here on the parade ground at wellington barracks which is the forming up point for many of the troops on parade today but as you mentioned it's not just men women and horses that will be making their way uh to the mao of course there is a dog as well and drummer walks you're the man tasked with looking after sheamus here yeah he seems fairly chilled out yeah so seamus is uh he's not much phases him he's just itching to go as you can hear tell me what what does he mean to the regiment he's almost a key personality in the battalion so when everybody sees them that they're almost happy to see him you know so yeah everybody loves them and he's so he's really one of the one of the lads one of the soldiers one of the lads he does everything with us pt lessons literally everything we do in the working day he will do it with us so you look after him all the time what does he mean to you so for me and him like as i said we do everything together so we almost have that kind of unseparable bond there um and yeah we just love working with each other how is he going to find today then we've done so much practice for it now that it's almost second nature to him and yeah he's gonna be great wonderful all right well you have a fantastic day and you too seamus that's the luck out there a real gentleman and there he is with his handler making his way across the parade ground here sheamus clearly not fazed by the demands of the parade at all this special parade requiring a special guest an expert guide for all of us and this year my guest is someone who served with the irish guards he also served in the special air service the sas and later became private secretary to the duke and duchess of cambridge and to prince harry he is jamie lowe the pinkerton jamie it's a great honor to have you with us good morning hugh now i mentioned the fact that this is a special parade a platinum jubilee something we will not see again and that underlines the great privilege of being here no um we went we haven't seen it uh to date in history and we're unlikely to see it again and for the guardsmen on parade that that will not be lost on them it's a it's an amazing opportunity for them to honor their sovereign we're soaking up the atmosphere here and a few clouds in the sky but it's mostly fine and i'm wondering if you can cast your mind back to 1980 which is quite a long time ago you have some memories of that day long time ago i suppose nerves i didn't sleep a whole lot the night before dusting of terror if i'm honest with you but now at this stage you have to banish that and you're concentrating on the job at hand there you are the end sign looking very smart i must say uh so all the rehearsing that we've seen for this parade in recent weeks was clearly up to scratch as well back in 1980. i think so i hope so hugh we're looking forward to jamie thank you very much the troops on parade i've had just a few months to prepare for today because away from the ceremonial duties as we underline these troops on parade are very much frontline soldiers representing regiments with centuries of tradition in battle so what does it take to get chosen for the elite role in the escort we followed three members on their journeys to today's parade we're down in carwen training area which is good for rural urban operations it's just important that we we maintain this role as our infantry soldiers being our number one role before we then dive into our ceremony role communication is the vital piece for it all if they can't communicate it falls apart so we'll start off loud [Music] and then we'll bring it down to silent hand signals i love being a soldier there's the reason why i joined the army that's all i wanted to do from since i was in secondary school i always wanted to join the army i know i'm here and i think that's the best decision i ever made in my life i joined there's got because i'm from grenada and the parish i'm from is carlson patrick's so that kind of gravitated me towards joining the irish god my mom very proud very proud of me being a soldier she loved watching youtube we literally sit and watch it every year it used to happen on television the whole build up to it the event of the day and you know it was really good so i've deployed in iraq and afghanistan and south sudan yeah let's go this is what we do for real it's training to do this somewhere around the world so it's not just a game you know it is for real and unfortunately a lot of us have had to do that throughout the years you'll hear the screams and shouts of whoever's taking the parade it's still the same principle that they're reacting to some form of command relax right a lot of these guys have just come fresh out of um the infantry training center catrick it's quite a big learning curve for them all right we need to step it up get that extra repair out so we can be the smartest here i've been in battalion for the year i am quite confident to me drilled and obviously now i'm i'm i'm their score for the supernatural performing horse guards is just going to be the probably the biggest achievements of my life i've never done anything like this exactly quite him it's quite scary so hopefully i achieve my goal to perform well in front of the queen so i've not seen my mum for four years so she's coming here to witnessing me doing the troop on the collar it's going to be emotional feeling for me the guys have done me very proud and they've worked extremely hard over the last six weeks for us to be here and to do it for her majesty and so our families can be at home and watch us it's a very proud moment well i'm with one of those very proud family members glenda who's some we just heard uh has well you've traveled over i haven't seen him in four years and now you've just spotted him in the front row there how are you feeling how is it excited nervous no i'm feeling glad how proud are you to actually see him fulfilling his dream and getting to be part of it and to be part of this yeah he follow his dream and i thank her that he's be here for me to see him and i stand him here and i could pick him out from the line and thank god for that and to be part of this 70 years for this massive jubilee how how special is that i'm feeling very special very very special in the moment now i'm feeling happy joy gladness and you've traveled such a long way to be here quickly how is grenada feeling about this you're right they are right everyone my family i told them about it so they may look at look at it but although right now is around four o'clock in the morning time so they will see it when they wake up they will see what taking place wonderful and i'm sure they'll be so proud well enjoy your day thank you so much it was wonderful for seeing him exciting not heartbroken well i don't want to share notice i want to be enjoyed right well you go and enjoy the day thank you so much for talking to me very nice to hear from glenda glenda frederick one of the many proud mums watching today's parade of course let's take a look then at the six companies foot guards each comprising three officers 71 other ranks they're lining two sides of the perimeter of the parade ground in that extended l-shape so the first battalion irish guards providing number one guard known as the escort as well as numbers two and three guards their number four guard provided by my megan company grenadier guards number five guard is provided by f company scots guards and then at the far end there of the parade ground number six guard provided by number seven company cold stream guards before the parade gets underway the color the spiritual heart of the regiment being protected by the colour party color sergeant john smiley guardsman carney and morris all three selected from the escort so as we say it's an irish guards birthday parade all the other foot guards regiments are taking part except for the welsh guards many of whom currently deployed to iraq they will be represented here by some of the musicians and of course by their colonel the prince of wales but they did want to send this message to the queen on behalf of the first battalion welsh guards number two can be in iraq we would like to congratulate her majesty the queen on her platinum jubilee i wish all on parade the very best of luck three cheers for majesty the queen hip hip hip hip hip [Applause] great sight of buckingham palace ready for this royal procession preparing to move two regiments of the household cavalry lifeguards and blues and royals along with the musicians of the mounted band they're all ready for this royal escort from the palace up to the parade ground and consider this there is no requirement for new recruits to have any experience with horses they're given the best training possible to reach this study it's a very impressive feat and that training really is put to the test today lots of new horses on parade makes some people slightly nervous but others very confident present an additional challenge but as we found out it's lots of hard work [Music] this is 74 it's a six-year-old gelding brought down cavalry from limerick and ireland [Music] due to the last couple of years there's a lot of things our horses haven't been exposed to so there's an awful lot of training that's currently taking place lots of run-throughs lots of drills making sure that we're the best that we can be what we're looking for is for 74 to be accepting of us as riders accepting of the divisions in a division there are 25 horses moving at once and that itself can be quite nerve-wracking for the horse we should be happy this horse is able to go onto queen's birthday parade with no issues and considering i'm riding him on the queen's birthday parade i hope there's no issues either who's that that's you [Music] bit of nervousness today prepping for this first run-through of queen's birthday parade riding a youngster on a parade like this is daunting all the training we do that's absolutely fine but you can't in any way replicate the crowds so if today doesn't go well 74 probably won't be on the parade come on boy you're right it's the unknown now [Music] stand still [Music] steady he has to still stand there the horse has got to know that that easy way out can't be the only way out he has to accept it [Music] i'm very very proud of him very very proud there is a hell of a lot there that you have to deal with the band playing for one we found that quite scary but he coached a bit and i didn't fall off so that's a win [Music] every parade everyone's always nervous especially with some of our soldiers this is going to be their first parade but nothing can come across how it's going to feel when we do ride down the mount great sight of the household cavalry waiting at buckingham palace waiting to see this uh parade get underway and we are pleased to report that warrior the horse we saw is on parade today oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] carriage procession underway three carriages with the royal guests going to the parade [Music] [Music] and this is a first because we have the three cambridge children in the carriage procession on this great formal day of the birthday parade we have george and charlotte and louis with their mother the duchess of cambridge and they're also in the carriage with the duchess of cornwall and it's lovely to see the three young children there jamie it's wonderful i remember going to the parade about about the age of george and it's the most exciting thing for a boy of his age to see this fantastic they seem to be enjoying it having a good look round smiles all round and of course the full knowledge that their father will be riding in the parade is colonel of the irish guards he will and the duke of cambridge is um has huge loyalty and affection towards the the mix as the irish guards are affectionately known uh and that is reciprocated the the regiment feel incredibly honoured to have um the dew cambridge as its colonel and the duchess of cambridge giving out our shamrock so the procession is underway and the crowds will be waiting for the prince of wales to leave the palace because he is taking the salute at the parade today on behalf of the queen oh [Music] royal salute sundered by the field officers trumpeter of the sovereign's escort prince of wales followed by the duke of cambridge and the princess royal the two other royal colonels duke of cambridge colonel of the irish guards the princess royal colonel of the blues and royals and the prince of wales of course colonel of the welsh guards since 1975 but such a big day for the prince today he's taking center stage very much as he did at the state opening of parliament where he opened parliament on his mother's behalf and today he's taking the salute at the birthday parade on her majesty's behalf a real sense here of the challenges ahead for the royal family and how it manages some of these great events with the queen of course less able to attend some because of her mobility issues [Applause] duke of cambridge there jamie and you were saying that his bond with the irish guards is one that is unshakable it is i mean it goes all the way back to his time at sandhurst where his uh color sergeant who took him through sandhurst uh color sergeant jimmy park was a sort of formative influence on him and from that moment onward he wanted a connection with the irish guards we almost won him from the blues and royals but not quite that would have been a coup it would indeed [Applause] prince of wales of course who's been attending this parade four decades he's now 73 i'm taking the salute just as princess elizabeth did on her father's behalf back in 1951. prince george who's eight nearly nine and then prince louie in the middle there's four and princess charlotte who's seven [Applause] but they are perfecting the act of waving and smiling at the same time and really enjoying the sight of the crowds and the sense of occasion too talking about a sense of occasion the great drum horses the mounted bands lots of people they are the stars of the show people who like the military music the earl of wessex and his family the countess of wessex and their children lady louise and vice count seven lady louise who's a bit of an expert carriage driver in her own right and then in the third carriage behind them we have the gloucesters duke and duchess of gloucester and admiral tim lawrence the lifeguards in their splendid red tunics and the white plumes providing the first and second divisions of the royal escort today and then at the rear the third and fourth divisions provided by the blues and rocks first carriages now on the approach to the parade ground very very lucky with the weather today it's warm but hopefully not too hot for all the guards on parade [Applause] the royal party will be turning onto the parade ground and their arrival will be signaled by the national anthem formation of the guards has changed number three guard has opened up to allow the procession onto the parade [Applause] [Music] saluting the color as they pass now the members of the royal party will be watching the parade from the office once used by the duke of wellington children will be there for the first time the office we saw right at the start of the program and this moment these images will stay in the memory for a long time won't they jamie because this is the first time we've seen the three young children in an event like this it is and i i love the way that they they dip their heads to the to the color as they passed it um learning learning young um absolutely right fantastic and they're in a place which is not just a place of great spiritual importance for the household division but for the family too it is i mean one forgets that that uh particularly as a guardsman on parade um you know you're honoring the royal family and it is that great moment there's there's one occasion every year where overtly around the world you can demonstrate that link between the royal family and the and the and the armed forces rather than just the guards so they'll be making their way to that uh room the major general's office and here we have the brigade major lieutenant colonel uh james shaw and uh four troopers of the lifeguards leading the procession for the prince of wales um the brigade major overseeing all the military elements of this platinum jubilee it's his first birthday parade he took over from brigadier guy stone of the welsh guards he and he spoke to us earlier about the new role there is a heightened sense of excitement this year being back on horse guards and the jubilee we have the privilege of starting the jubilee weekend with the queen's birthday parade today uh what an honour that is and a very exciting moment for us all i've been in this role since february only a few months now and for this year my first year to be the queen's platinum jubilee is just one of the biggest honours of my life without doubt very proud day for 10 colonel james shaw lots of people may be wondering what is the role of the brigade major jamie how would you explain it the brigade major is really the impresario of high ceremonial if i can put it that way he's one of the unsung heroes of this event with the garrison major putting the whole parade together and he's a high flyer not the sort of person when i was in the mix he wanted to come up in front of too often princess royal as usual enjoying the ride to the parade ground past the youth enclosure with lots of youth organizations and there we have the mounted bands under the direction of major paul collis smith who's riding hashtag [Music] first clear sight of the magnificent pair of shire horses ed and harry carrying those very heavy drums a powerful beat for all the musicians [Music] the royal escort consisting of seven officers 111 warrant officers non-commissioned officers and troopers and this tradition of inviting the household cavalry to escort the sovereign usually in this case it's the prince of wales to the parade that was introduced by king george vi in 1937. [Applause] first division commander lieutenant felix pettit his first birthday parade [Applause] [Applause] so the prince of wales and the two other royal colonels and then behind them in the procession we have the regimental non-royal colonels um we have lieutenant colonel uh the grand deer guards rowley walker representing the grenadier guards today um following the departure of the duke of york for the coal stream guards lieutenant general sir james bucknell um and uh colonel of the lifeguards is major general sir edward smith osborne they too jamie have significant roles in this parade today they do um because it's it's so many different regiments on parade each of those uh detachments will be uh obviously honoring her majesty but they'll be doing their best in front of the eagle eyes of their of their own colonels i should have mentioned of course that the duke of kent who we'll see later on the balcony of the palace with her majesty is colonel of the scots guards absolutely he is so the royal escort making its way down from the mall along the approach road past the very colorful flags of the commonwealth nations all of them there in order of joining and here we have the great panorama with the guards memorial uh right there in the center of the frame all the green glory of st james's park and the guards lined up perfectly as the house of cavalry rides onto the side road just by the parade ground where they will stay until their dramatic entry onto the parade ground a little later on the chelsea pensioners always a familiar and faithful presence here at the queen's birthday parade and they're enjoying the sunshine as well and they're in very good seats which is exactly how it should be so at the stroke of 11 o'clock after the prince has saluted the color and the royal kernels too they passed the parade ground the formal start of the parade will take place so the color has been saluted by the prince of wales as he prepares to take his place this birthday parade of 2022 in the platinum jubilee year is about to get underway arms [Music] arms shoulder arms now the prince's first task on behalf of her majesty is to inspect the line of guards and it's a great opportunity to enjoy some of the music of the masked bands uh the mists of shannon arranged by captain niels kepper irish guards director of music man in charge of the bands the ten pill simon hall of the coldstream gods [Music] [Music] so the music changes a much quicker tempo this is called ladysmith it's composed specially for the 2022 birthday parade lady smith a name that resonates very powerfully with the irish cars yes parks back to the south african war when the irish guards were created to recognize the extraordinary bravery of the great irish infantry regiments it's a it's a centenary of their disbandment this year and we see that in the mix as one of our duties to preserve the legacy and memory of those great irish regiments with the royal irish regiment too of course [Music] prince of wales saluting the lifeguards and now the king's troop royal horse artillery commanded by major fran sykes [Music] now the officer in charge of the entire household division general officer commanding london district is this gentleman major general christopher geeker formerly of the irish guards well i first watched the parade as a boy from one of the officers in the horse guards in the 1970s and then i was the ensign of one of the guards in 1994 and now i find myself in 2022 as the as the major general so um it's been an amazing journey and it's a bit like coming home really nobody on parade today will take part in another platinum jubilee birthday parade and so i think we're all very keenly aware of the unique nature of the day major general working closely with the senior director of music it is simon hall's last year in this role before he retires after a distinguished career there is one very special piece of music that's been composed for the platinum jubilee it's called the platinum jubilee march and it's our special gift to mashi the queen it's my last um parade in the army and yes it will be a very emotional moment and it's 34 years of service but it's a great way to finish my service well i think it's fair to say that we are looking forward very much to that new composition called the platinum jubilee march which is the mass band's birthday gift to her majesty the queen today and i'm sure that her majesty will be eagerly looking forward to hearing it um wherever she's watching the parade i suspect it's at buckingham palace now the parade is about to start in the time-honored way with the ever popular march called le hugueno played every year at the parade since 1936 although the piece is much older than that and for many it's the tune that they always associate with this event and it's a real chance for the mass bands to show what they're made of it is a magnificent piece it's a perfect military march and uh the entire royal family seems to be very keen on it so it's a great start to the parade itself and it'll be heard throughout the surrounding area of st james's park [Music] um [Music] [Music] [Music] what [Music] so [Music] all eyes looking for the raised trombone and tell the mass fans to turn to counter march [Music] so [Music] [Music] quick so from the very familiar to the brand new this is the platinum jubilee march written by sergeant shelton this is the birthday gift to her majesty and by the way worth noting on parade today the first female director of music in the household division major lauren tritwatz of the welsh gods the lone drummer breaking away land sergeant lewis hamilton from northern ireland from the core of drums marching to a position to the right of the escort and that's ready for the next phase of the parade [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] drummer playing eight bars of a field signal called the drummer's call escort for the color slow arms remainder change up ease escort for the color in close order left just of the escort captain freddie bagshaw gives the order for the escort to take up their dressing in close order that's a tighter formation for the march forward to collect the color in a few minutes the orderly guardsman kevin newell marching forward to take the pay stick from the regimental psalm major who draws his sword escort for the color will advance by the left quick march [Music] such a rosy tune in the escort stepping off the uplifting march of the british grenadiers march forward and halt some 16 paces from the color party ready for the collection to take place and it's a good energetic moment for the escort at this point it is at last you're on the move intense excitement takes over from whatever nerves you may have left and excitement of what's to come this is the key moment really for lift under charlie bashal the ensign will really the penny drops when you take the queen's color which the escort then salute in front of you it's an extraordinary moment remember it charlie [Music] fun [Music] ask god for the color in open order right yes my spines drops on pipes volatile ah what turn sean oh and a critical moment here jamie for the regimental top major and for the ensign yes this is this is where the enzyme has to pick up the step from the regimental psalm major in order to take the to receive the color brilliant so david griffiths the regimental major saluting the color and then he'll collect the color from color sergeant the ensign saluting the color lieutenant charles bashal great honor for him to troop the color through the ranks today [Music] [Applause] [Music] escort to the color slow up [Music] so the ensign and the regimental major resume their positions within the escort and this is the point at which the escort for the color having taken possession of it now becomes the escort to the color status has changed escort to the color change arms escort to the color will advance by the center slow much the timeless melody of escort to the color by richard writings as the escort advances in slow time and the bands already beginning their difficult maneuver known as the spin wheel 200 musicians also supported by the poor drums having to change direction without changing formation which is quite a challenge [Music] so [Music] gods reasons music changes to the grenadiers slow march the color the escort continue the slower march through the ranks this is really the spiritual heart of the parade that this is the part known as trooping the color and the significance of that can't be overstated [Music] it is the ensign's responsibility to troop the color through the ranks and as jamie was telling us it's a moment of immense pride and privilege for the ensign chosen for this parade attend charles basham it is you it's the it's the most intense feeling of kinship practically in my in my military career um september oh no the motto of the household division seven joined in one the seven regiments of the household division joined as one all of them honoring the color you're carrying uh it's the family of the household division and of the irish guards the mix it's an incredibly intense feeling the officers whispering you encouragement as you go past them it's it's a magical moment for charlie bashal here well we spoke to him and this is what he had to say to be chosen to be ensign this year is an incredible privilege i know that many have come before me and as much as it's a massive occasion it's quite a small group who've been in science before obviously very excited i told the parents straight away um but then i also realised wow this is going to be a very important occasion hopefully not going to get it wrong lots of people are going to be watching but i know that with all the rehearsals should be all right and if anything i was extremely excited [Music] the color there resplendent with the battle honors and those who are not familiar with regimental history might not understand the full significance of the country the color historically was the rallying point in the smoke of battle so that's why it's shown to the soldiers on parade so they know what to look for in the heat of battle nowadays obviously not on the battlefield but it's still the soul of the regiment it has a semi literally a semi-sacred value and it's also the cenotaph of the regiment all of those battle honors on the on the color uh where irish guardsmen fought and died [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] oh escort the color will advance let [Applause] bruce arms officers take post quick miles numbers one to five guards will retire about turn quick moms [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] numbers one to five guards well advanced turn number six gone close order march move to the right in threes form threes right guards will march past in slow and quick time by the left slow march [Music] so after that long sequence of words of command as the field officer said the guards now marching past in slow and quick time the neutral slow barge neutral because it doesn't belong to any regiment particularly is called bob's own the color has been trooped so now we have a different phase in the parade a feast of music and drill to enjoy again bob zone jamie what does that mean yet another nickname of the irish guards bob was field marshal lord roberts of kandahar victoria cross he was the first colonel of the irish guards on formation and he saw us off to the first world war in august 1914 and died two months later he was much beloved by the irish guards [Music] a thought for the end sign again here as the escort waits to move off because you'll need to move to the front of the escort naughty jamie because he'll be really center stage once again when the march past happens and the prince of wales takes a salute he will you this is the second moment in the parade where the ensign really takes center stage as you say and it's it's a moment where he has to get the uh the flourish as it's known right as he marches past in slow time uh the trick is to get the the color hanging vertically level uh and then gathering it again today he shouldn't have much problem because there's not a lot of wind but sometimes that can be difficult to gather it back in again but this is a great moment i'd say there are some other people enjoying the parade there some of the young guests in the major generals office all of them enjoying the spectacle [Music] major of the parade is major adrian havelop leading the parade while the commanding officer gives the words of command [Music] it's a great vantage point this but at ground level and this is the result of all of the drill and all of the rehearsing and the standards being set as high as they possibly can [Music] it's the culmination of months of training months of focus and it's paying dividends to today as everybody can see prime minister boris johnson and his wife carrie and other guests they're from diplomatic circles and indeed there are cabinet ministers and opposition figures there too [Music] the enzyme moving to the front of the escort ready for the march past since the year 1902 the irish gods have had the honor of trooping their color of the sovereign on no fewer than 13 occasions most of those for the record breaker of course herself a majesty that we [Music] ready for the watch boston slow time the field officer in brigade waiting the man in charge of the entire parade is leading the way lieutenant colonel james aldridge [Music] a salute as the music changes to the irish guard slow march let everyone remember on there the duke of cambridge as his regiment leads the way as the end sign prepares to perform that flourish that you were talking about duke of cambridge must be proud he'll be this will be a culminating moment of his colonel see of the irish guards uh you'll be proud of the way they're performing and they'll be proud to be their colony beautifully done grenadier slow march time-making company granted your guards scott's card slow march garb number five guard f company scots guards it's the 40th anniversary of the falklands war this year battle of tumble down where eight scots scots and one royal engineer were killed so it's a year where lots of people will be casting their minds about 40 years well we shared a barracks chelsea barracks with the scots guard 2nd battalion 40 years ago we went off to germany they put away their tunics and their bear skins picked up their rifles and went to the south atlantic where they fought and won the fearsome battle of mount tumbledown prince of wales of course taking salute colonel of the welsh guards thinking of those who were lost on the saga had 32 of the 48 who died on the ship were watched the accident of the parade is captain dave stodden field officer brigade waiting mounting off circle parade attention james aldridge riding out to salute the prince of wales now that the slow march past is complete so the first phase of the march past complete jamie and i can tell from your reaction you thought it was pretty impeccable which is good to see it was a great uh it was a great mick cocktail if i can put it like that the mix have this uh have this fantastic mix of guards discipline and pursuit of excellence with that irish irrational tenth if i can quote lawrence of arabia which makes it the best regiment on the planet i would say that it's slightly predictable i have to say yes i should as well explain you said a few minutes ago jamie that uh the irish gods were affectionately known as the mix and some people watching but i think well that's not an altogether nice term but it's worth underlining that it's what you irish cars call yourselves it's what we call ourselves and actually it's been a nickname for so long that any connotations that may or may or may not have been have worn off well they are marching with pride and with style today pressing this vast crowd music will soon be changing and the royal standard broken out above buckingham palace we know what that means it means that her majesty is in residence so all fingers crossed for a balcony appearance by the queen later into quick time quick march so the guards have reformed ready to march past in quick time they're very upbeat tempo another neutral march before the regiments march past the prince of wales this neutral quick march is called rhythm of the line proposed by mage george willock's former director music of the irish guards duchess of cambridge who's been seen at the window several times smiling and enjoying the scene and as we see the end sign marching quick time what does this phase of the parade mean for charles marshall well if he's anything like me and i think he's got more steel than i have but he you begin to enjoy the parade at this point you've done the two trickiest bits if i can put it that way you're slightly hidden as you can see behind behind the escort and you begin to really enjoy [Music] as we see them all prepare for this march passing quick time very strong shadows on the parade ground the sun is out it's fairly warm would you say these are ideal conditions jamie or is it a touch to warm for them no i think i think it's good looking at the flags there is a bit of a breeze coming off the path and that makes all the difference [Music] marching with purpose and with energy to the corner of the parade ground where they'll turn and force to face the prince of wales and cambridge and the princess royal led by the field officer [Music] standing by for the march blasting good time to begin the music to change to the irish guards quick march which is called saint patrick's day prince of wales enjoying the sights and the sounds now that the 15 or so pipers have joined the music once again and adding a lot of flared a lot of energy for you as an irish guardsman jamie this has got to be a rosy moment saint patrick's day is the moment when the mix swagger comes out it's not in any of the drill books but there's a lifting of the temperament frankly [Music] british grenadiers nightmaking company grenadier guards [Music] unmistakable scots cars quick march helen laddy f company scots guards the only regiment of the household infantry not to support a plume the basket very familiar quick march guards milanolo number six guard provided by number seven company golson guards another change of music this is another neutral quick march slattery's mounted foot and uh good title for a great tune i have to say we talk a lot jb about family and every guest i have in this commentary box different regiments will say well of course we're a very proud family regiment you will share that sentiment but how would you differ then to the other regiments well we're very fortunate in that we've never been amalgamated as god none of the foot guards regiment have so fathers uh fathers sons follow fathers brothers they're all in there in fact the subtleton of the escort captain freddie bradshaw is my godson of whom i'm very proud so it just has that family feel to it where's the guards reform for the next stage it's a time for 10 james aldridge to ride out to salute the prince again told us about his role today it's a huge honour for the irish girls to be conducting the queen's birthday parade in this platinum jubilee year it's going to be a spectacular event probably the most challenging part is the fact that i'm doing it mounted riding a horse it's not something i've done a huge amount of before but integrity and i have been building a relationship for the last three or four months now so hopefully we'll we'll connect and he and i will both behave on the day no question at all that it's not just a huge honor for james aldrich to be commanding officer of the parade but it's daunting too the eyes of the world those who are right around the globe taking an interest in this parade and trust me they do and their hundreds of millions of you had the audience up of course it's a daunting world [Music] oh shoulder arms officers tight post quick march in open order left and right drats back birds jump untight one way to the right right turn senior drum major great voice carrying right across the parade ground music here is called field marshall alexander of genus foot gods therefore have reformed and soon it'll be the turn of the mounted troops to pass the saluting base household cavalry the king's troop royal horse artillery and of course the mounted bands of the household division so we have the mast bands marching to one side to make way for the mounted fans [Music] [Music] hot pipes [Music] [Music] musician dominic boswell riding harry and ed the heroic drum horses major paul collis smith the director of music writing passchendaele [Music] very nice as well here good rousing welsh march the men of howlett we see movement there on the edge of st james's park because we have the king's troop royal horse artillery moving on to the parade ground in the year of notable anniversaries 2022 is the 75th anniversary of the creation of the king's troop formed at the instigation really of george vi he wanted to revive the tradition of firing royal salutes on major anniversaries on state occasions so they became known of course as the king's troop really they should be known as the queen's troop now but the queen decided many years ago that the name should be kept in memory of her father [Music] the lead gun is in effect the regimental color it's accorded the same reference as the colors of the vodka regiments [Music] the guns that we see on parade today first saw service in the great wall in the first world war more than a century [Music] king's troop commanded by major fran sikes from harrogate he's riding lord firebrand [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] saluting the lead gun of the king's troop glistening and gleaming in the sunshine here on horse cars parade this platinum jubilee celebration [Music] such a majestic site people come from all over the world just to see this part of the parade these horses train to perfection and then of course the lifeguards they're dazzling scarlet cheatings [Music] royal colonel saluting [Music] field officer for the sovereign's escort is major russell bond of lifeguards standard bearer warrant officer class 2 chris libert of the rifle he's riding kilimanjaro [Music] the music changes to the slow march of the blues and royals two divisions trod past later they're walking past now a word jamie because this again will be interesting for lots of viewers the role of the house of cavalry is an armored reconnaissance regiment yes and a great moment what a great memory for them uh this year also falklands veterans from the blues and royals two troops deployed to the south atlantic lieutenant mark corrath lieutenant robin in his car and they took part in the battle of tumbledown and played a significant role in the campaign [Music] field offices trumpeter traditionally road next to the commanding officer always on a grey grey horse which could be seen of course more easily [Music] regimental trot past [Music] a real demonstration of the term horsepower gun and limber pulled by three pairs of horses [Music] so [Music] king's troop based at woolwich they have 75 horses on parade today [Music] prince of wales ready to acknowledge the color of the lifeguards which remains at the carry during the truck past lifeguards trace their history back to the court of the exile charles iii [Music] and the glinting axes of the farriers who would come to dispatch injured horses after a battle [Music] saluting cattle drummers riding the drum horses crossing their sticks as a salute we're often asked about the distinctive gold coats and the blue jockey caps it's known as state dress it's the oldest continually warm uniform in the british army so the band of the household cavalry mounted band will soon come to a halt and their director of music leading the way will signal that he's in effect handing back control to the field officer for the final birthday salute to the queen which the prince of wales of course is taking on her majesty's behalf [Applause] a big round of applause for all of those taking part oh [Music] arms guards in close order left and right trash so mounted bands moving off the parade ground as the guards will be forming three ranks ready for their march off guard stressing the ice front with no word of command perfectly executed [Applause] [Music] guards will retire about 10. at the whole [Music] will be closing up to reduce the length of the procession along the mall and music drums and pipes obviously in evidence operational aspects of drums of pipes jamie yes unlike the other musicians on parade the drums and pipes are regular soldiers from the battalion itself and their role is a specialist machine gun platoon which i had the honour of commanding many many years ago so part-time musicians full-time machine gunners turn guards on the escort form close column not available [Music] the pace stick be returned to the regimental top major david griffiths by the orderly cosmic kevin newell [Music] tracks the left guide of the escort anthony owens moving out to the right so that all the guards can see him and when he drops the arm it's the eyes forward it's a signal to all six cards making his way to the approach road there we see garen sergeant major andrew stokes known to friends and colleagues as vern stokes and he really is the man in charge of maintaining the highest possible standards on parade and among various roles he's overseen the training of future officers at sandhurst some of them on parade today when i look at the soldiers and the officers on parade and they're delivering to the best of their ability i feel a huge sense of pride i know an awful lot of them personally i trained an awful lot of them the field office in brigade waiting for example went through sandhurst in 2003 i'd already been there as a color sergeant instructor for a year at that point and i remember him going through his training so to see that development over a 20-year period and also the young soldiers because i've been in their position and i know what it feels like to deliver the queen's birthday parade and i know the immense pride that they'll be feeling i stand back like a like almost like a proud father watching the parade and feeling immensely proud about everybody and what they're achieving prince of wales has given his permission for the guards to march off all of this precision of course overseen by the garrison sergeant major it's a sight for us all to remember this platinum jubilee birthday parade with horse cars bathed in sunshine just a few yards away on the mall we have the carriage procession taking the royal guests back from horse guards along the mall to buckingham palace and i'm reliably told that since we came on air many more thousands of people have joined the crowds on either side of the mall and indeed packed into st james's park and green park so we really can expect quite a spectacle later on when the royal family appears on that palace balcony is led of course by the majesty of the queen and ready for that great fly past that we're expecting at around one o'clock and that will be watched of course by the duchess of cornwall industry cambridge and by these three little ones who behaved rather well seem to be having a great time george and siblings charlotte and louie [Applause] to your duties by the left quick march [Music] i think it's fair to say that some of the very best tunes so we've had one or two really good ones i've been saved for the march off and the procession along the mount this is one that uh when we attended the rehearsals we really did like it's called irish saffron by sergeant adam paris and the irish saffron kilt and iconic part of the drums and pipes uniform is worn on special occasions conclusion of the birthday parade very first in which the prince of wales has taken the salute on her majesty's behalf exactly as her majesty did as princess elizabeth back in 1951 when her father sadly was too ill to attend [Music] [Music] lots of smiles from the dutchess okay bridge and that's the cornwall that clearly enjoyed themselves and uh the three little ones waving as if it were their duty which of course it is but they seem to be enjoying it anyway i think they do is wonderful sights of the guards marching off horse guards places have a spirituality and for all of the guardsmen on parade today this now has a special spiritual place in their heart [Music] [Music] [Music] those of you watching at home around the world wherever you are we are enjoying the queen's birthday parade and we will see her majesty at buckingham palace uh well quite soon i think because i think it's the queen's intention to come back onto the balcony to inspect the troops as they return to the palace and then of course to return to the balcony after that for the fly fast which should be a minute or so before one o'clock for those of you who want to be very precise and set your clocks but for charlotte and louie and for george it'll be a fly past the likes of which they've not seen before and indeed many of us won't have seen anything like it before with 70 aircraft marking 70 years of the queen's reign and it'll include some of the most iconic aircraft modern and historic there's a lot of heritage involved in the flight paths today but a lot of statement about the modern technology and power of the uk armed forces as well [Applause] the stands that you can see there well they've all been erected for that uh concert the platinum jubilee concert which takes place uh tomorrow [Music] [Music] as we see this great site and the heritage and the tradition involved jamie i'm just reminded of the fact that this is one of those very valuable parts of heritage which speaks of continuity of course it speaks of new generations of the royal family and others in the armed services taking part but ultimately this is a statement about tradition and about continuity and that gives people reassurance it does i mean i think this parade actually as much as anything else represents an affirmation of the relationship not just between her majesty and her book guards but also with the people of great britain and we've seen the crowds out on the mall and there's that lovely triangulation taking part taking place so as i was saying plenty to look forward to today after the formal end of the birthday parade and uh we are still waiting to see the king's troop riding into hyde park as they will be they preceded the lifeguards here and the blues and royals they're already on their way to fire that resounding 82 gun salute after which the queen will be leading the family onto the balcony to watch that fly past [Music] [Applause] if we look in the background there just under the flags we'll see some of the street liners they're from the first battalion coal street guards must mention them because they've done a sterling job today it's not in the limelight on horse guards parade it's still very important standing patiently uh since the long procession began uh they're commanded by lieutenant colonel um david martian a word about the street liners we see the princess royal passing some of them now because of course lots of them are supporting the new uh jubilee medal as well yes absolutely the street liners are first out last in uh and they have to stand there all through the all through the parade some of some of the compensation you hear some wonderful comment comments from the crowd behind you when you're standing there it's it's actually keeps you going cold stream guards nulli secundus rightly uh their motto translates as second to none at the honor of serving them with them many years ago they are a fantastic regiment and they've done a great job uh lining the room we're very happy to give recognition where it's due so well done to the street liners the very smart drum majors making their way along with the regimental bans marching smartly down the mall towards buckingham palace the principal route to horse guards and back of course my majesty's very familiar with it so other members of the royal family because it is the main processional route and it's where we get a good glimpse very often of the royal family a rare glimpse of the royal family gathered together the princess royal they're making their way back towards the palace itself cambridge and the prince of wales so as the royal procession makes its way and we have some more excitement to look forward to i'm delighted to say that jamie and i have been joined in the coventry box here by the royal editor of vanity fair and an old friend of ours who's uh always got great detailed expert commentary on these matters katie nichol katie a warm welcome to you oh thank you lovely to be here with you both what a spectacle that was it's astonishing really and it's the first day of this four day session of platinum jubilee celebrations what kind of a tone did that strike you think oh by the way look look at the valkyrie katie this is exactly what we've been waiting for to see whether her majesty who decided not to come to the parade would be able to make an appearance and this is our answer isn't it this is our answer this is our queen our platinum record-breaking monarch looking resplendent and blue the queen who said she had to be seen to be believed well here she is crowd is slowly realizing who it is that's emerged of the balcony because it takes a few seconds to sink in sometimes the duke of kent is there of course as well accompanying the queen as he does very often he's colonel of the scots guards but i think once the crowd realizes that her majesty's there they'll go slightly uh mad but um they're probably slightly distracted as well by the sight of the the guards going past so katie what did you make of this as the opening event well it just doesn't get any better i mean there's a reason why millions here are turning into bbc to watch this because no one else frankly does pomp and pageantry like our armed forces and as the head of the armed forces this is an important moment for the queen this ceremony was 260 years old true from the colour has marked the official birthday of the british sovereign for that many years it's a very special occasion and i don't think we will ever see a pageant truthing of the color ever again so this is a moment to remember so the household cavalry returning and her majesty as ever having a very very close look this is the inspection of the returning troops duke of kent saluting colonel of the scots guards what we see jamie is a monarch with an expert eye for the good things and if there are any slip-ups yes this is probably the most profound moment of the queen's birthday parade normally it happens on horse guards but it's when the guardsmen and the troopers of the household cavalry get to look their monarch in the eye and vice versa i remember when i was on parade forget any any smiles this was a proper inspection and she was looking for all the details which she knows better than anybody well no better day for it because it's clear it's sunny colors are dazzling the detail is remarkable blues and royals making their way past for the inspection past the great memorial to queen victoria dark blue tunics and the red plumes that colonel of course is the princess royal who was riding in the procession [Applause] [Music] queen who celebrated her birthday a 96th birthday back in april today is the official birthday of the sovereign and who decided that uh it might be better not to make the journey up to horse cars today but to stay at the palace and to inspect the troops in this way more comfortable for her and we'll all understand that and of course there will be that appearance with the working members of the royal family that's important katie isn't it because um it won't be just anyone turning up on the balcony today it's clearly defined it's those who are working members of the family yes absolutely that balcony appearance is always incredibly important you can read as much i think into who is on the balcony as to who is not but we know that there will be 17 members of the family alongside the queen and they will be working members of the royal family i think that's also an opportunity here for the queen to thank those those that she calls her substitutes for being out there day in and day out working tirelessly for her majesty the queen flying the flag for britain not just here in the united kingdom but around the world [Music] the drum majors leading the bands counterclockwise direction this time around that uh queen victoria memorial the queen ready once again to inspect them as they march past bands first and then the guards who took part in the birthday parade itself led of course by the irish guys [Music] we'll be seeing a lot of this uh setup katie in the next few days won't we because we have that concert on saturday we have other events as well today by the way the royal british legion arranged tickets for lots of people deserving members of the public to come along and sit in these stands which are not normally there of course so they've had a great vantage point for this uh last hour of the parade and they'll get a bird's eye view of the fly past well well they will and it's wonderful there's seating there and you're going to see the the mouth fill up in the most spectacular way and obviously this is the the central focal point of these platinum jubilee celebrations i think it's also worth pointing out the first time we've seen the queen at buckingham palace and for a couple of years now since before the cover panda makes it very special to see her back at monarchy hq buckingham palace resplendent in this wonderful spring sunshine thank goodness the sun is shining i have to say jamie i am fascinated there's a long conversation going on between the queen and the duke of kent they're obviously comparing notes and pointing to this section of the gods in that section and i'd love to know what they say so would i and i think the guardsmen if they see the pointing going on will be sixes and sevens about whether to be pleased they're being pointed at or not [Music] prince of wales leading the royal party back into buckingham palace through the archway into the central section of buckingham palace before they reappear upstairs on that balcony in the short one [Music] [Music] now this is the moment you were talking about earlier jamie and applying it again to the foot guards that moment of eye contact although it's more distant today than it would be on the parade ground but it's still there you know it's more distant but in a way it's it's it's unique and the guardsmen will be thinking that they'll be seeing that they're wearing wearing her some patrick's blue which is so uh so apt and brilliant so [Music] [Music] followed now by the non-royal colonels saluting as well saluting their majesty the kentu would normally ride in the carriage we have seen him with the queen um certainly since the late duke of edinburgh stopped attending public events some years before his death the duke of kent is a very prominent participator in these great state events [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we have a very visible sign of the changing of the guard in the four court of buckingham palace the majesty is returned inside but we will see her again fear not and maybe a good moment jamie as we see the changing of the guard just to explain very quickly that uh the escort has some work to do it does it hasn't finished yet for the escort they now go on on to queensguard as it's called at buckingham palace anderson james's palace taking over from the old guard which was drawn from the coal stream guards as you can see they've got a few more hours of duty left [Music] oh god [Music] so the guard is being changed because jamie was saying it's a bit of a long day for the members of the escort who's now going to be on guard in buckingham palace in james's palace from cold stream to irish guards so as the guard is changed we're mindful of course of the fact that there are lots of people around who are now getting quite excited about the prospect of the fly past in a short while and just outside the buckingham palace just the other side of the railings uh i know that jj chalmers is there and i think jj is with a special guest there so let's join absolutely hugh i'm joined by the great allen hitch martian and we just we've just snuck around there to get a really good front row seat of seeing her majesty come out in the balcony it was it's particularly special isn't it it's a thing everybody was hoping for jj everybody so oh will she do it it would be lovely if she didn't there we are there she was to call the queen the cherry on the top of the cake is it i'm sure a great insult but just wonderful the complete made the day she said she needs to be seen to be believed but it's quite an unbelievable you know achievement i don't know if that's the right word it is and the atmosphere in london today is astonishing i came in this morning really quite early droves of people coming down the pavements it was almost as if you were going into wembley on speed you know masses of people and the atmosphere is wonderful i walked down the mall earlier and that crowds were cheering such a great atmosphere and for the queen to come out and take this loop going past it's just very very special and of course it is an absolutely beautiful day and we're such a lush part of london with the royal parks around us but also this magnificent structure behind us the tree of trees i mean it is it's really striking quite a piece of engineering as well isn't it it's an astonishing piece of engineering designed by thomas heatherwick 21 meters high containing 350 british native trees all planted in pots which at the end of the jubilee are going to be sent off around the country different counties are going to get different trees and it's symbolic of this initially called the queen's green canopy we've already planted over a million trees the the qgc the queen's green canopy project and the idea is that the queen's durability will be reflected in the durability of the trees that we plant for succeeding generations to enjoy and it's an initiative we're trying to encourage in absolutely every corner small groups families plan to tree for the jubilee does it surprise you that that she chose this initiative you know trees wildlife nature to be her legacy essentially of this jubilee no it doesn't surprise me i've learned over the years from the meetings of the queen that she knows far more about horticulture than most people give her credit for she loves her trees she enjoys the gardens wherever she is be it sandringham balmoral buckingham palace windsor the grounds there the duke of edinburgh was the ranger of windsor great park they are very very environmentally aware of prince wales is obviously but so too is the queen and this is a wonderful enduring thing quite selfless when you think about it too i'm sure she would say it's not about me it's about what goes on afterwards and these trees will see all of us out an oak tree the oak trees in windsor great park that are over a thousand years old they were there when william the conqueror came they still live some of them that's a thought and the queen's green canopy can make sure that our legacy to this country right the way across is worthwhile worth having wonderful that is a thought and that is why i think we'll leave it there because that is yeah what a remarkable piece of history we're witnessing and what a wonderful future we'll have as well glorious glorious day jj and alan thank you so much just two people in a vast sea of spectators enjoying the day and it's good as well i think i mentioned this to katie earlier to see a focus on buckingham palace which actually has taken a bit of a back seat in the last few years it really has you i mean the phrase is good to be back springs to mind so much doesn't it you see these crowds people together this sense of coming together again this sense of community and i think that is so much at the heart of the queen's platinum jubilee message she said in that statement that we received overnight that she wants her jubilee to be a chance to make happy memories not just here in the united kingdom but around the commonwealth as well and we're making happy memories today and this is what people have come to see this is the great wave of people been waiting patiently to make their way down the mile as far as they can go now that all the troops have returned to barracks they'll get some of them will get a fantastic view towards the lower end but honestly lots of people will be very happy just to be on the mall today it's such a big day we heard earlier from rather prominent people paying their own tributes to her majesty there was a tribute to the queen from former president obama and indeed there are plenty of other prominent tributes so let's let's see what others have had to say your majesty i well remember the beautiful radio speech you gave on your 21st birthday you pledged yourself in service to the people of britain and the commonwealth and i feel that in all the years since you have never betrayed that promise i would like to say my warmest congratulations to you ma'am and thank you your majesty one of the last memories i have of my dear father was have him escorting me to buckingham palace to receive my obe it was a very special day for him too and one that he cherished dearly as you have touched the hearts of generation upon generation you are beloved by children parents grandparents and great-grandparents your selflessness and dedication to duty is beyond compare and i just wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you and to send you my best wishes on your platinum jubilee the haze of the heat and the massive collection of union jacks that have been hung all the way down the mouth towards admiralty arch which leads on to trafalgar square this great configuration designed by sir aston webb at the turn of the 20th century now of course familiar around the world as a prime ceremonial route union flags conveying their own message about the nature of the event of course a celebration of the queen's record-breaking reign but the union flag is turning up in lots of different places today on umbrellas and on waistcoats i've seen people wearing socks with union flags on them and the odd tie as well uh one person asked if i'd wear a union flag tie on the 10 o'clock news and i politely declined not because i wasn't being patriotic katie but because i felt that i would then be asked to well lots of ties well the policeman that let me through the gates this morning just had to show me his union jack themed socks i said i hope you're going to stop there but i think we've all this is an opportunity to get the bunting out it's an opportunity to feel to feel very proud proud of our queen proud of our country and millions will be watching this around the world i can tell you i was on the mall yesterday the atmosphere was electric people who had been camping out overnight to make sure they got the very best seats the best seats to witness what we're about to witness that all-important balcony moment well quite a job for the police as they try to arrange this flow of people in a in an orderly way a short while ago we heard from alan titchmarsh uh but we have another special guest uh who's going to talk again to jj yes you i have a sporting royalty here the great team kelly holmes in your finest regalia is an honorary colonel as well you look fantastic you look very warm on a day like today because you can appreciate just you know just how fantastic this is but the amount of work that goes in as well it is unbelievable behind the scenes you know this is months and months of preparation i think we do it the best in great britain um you know the pageantry you see the soldiers the parade tripping of color is something very very special and how special is it to you having having both served and now in your honorary role as well yeah it's amazing you know i was given this role after um filming bbc women at war um i'm an honorary colonel for the royal armored corps training regiment it was the first post to um be an army colonel for a regular unit so it was signed off by her majesty the queen a change in army policy and i get to wear kind of this lovely wonderful uniform and of course her majesty the queen is your boss as well i mean how much how special is it to be here today to see her as well um well this is what you do as a sovereign sovereign serving soldier which i was for nearly ten years we all have to give the oath allegiance to the queen so every single soldier that you see would have had to do that oath so it's a really special occasion you know this is something that everybody that is in the military would be prepared for whether they actually are parading or you're in a uniform soldier everywhere around the world we'll be celebrating today and of course you've received your datehood from her majesty the queen as well i mean back to that memory quickly and sort of the i suppose you know reflect on it now as well yeah i think firstly winning two gold medals for great britain the first woman ever to do that in the uh uk then getting honored with a dame hood it was not something that i had dreamt of then get it from the queen here in buckingham palace is kind of what dreams are made for you know memories in the bank and i took my grandad and my mum at the time and my stepdad and it's just a wonderful occasion to be celebrated i also must say that i got mb for services to the military which i'm very very proud of wonderful well thank you so much enjoy the rest of the day thank you it has been so special thank you thank you so much [Music] jj benny thanks and kelly of course now while the crowd is coming down the mall i mentioned earlier that up in hyde park the king's troop on their way to fire an 82 gun salute they're of course responsible for firing these great gun salutes on days of national significance and we're used to seeing them uh in green park very often on the day of the birthday parade but they're up in hyde park today a bigger park for a bigger gun salute [Music] and that gun salute will be taking place shortly but we can see now the the crowd's still making its way and it's in two or three sections so by the time it's all together i think we'll see the mall pretty full by the time that we reach just before one o'clock and the highlight of the morning if i can say that because we've already had several highlights uh with the parade itself but the highlight probably for lots of people will be to see her majesty uh leading a family on to the balcony and it's lovely to see people having made the journey here and often taking lots of trouble spending their own money on transport and really at times when you know people are feeling the pinch in terms of cost of living they'll come here because they really want to show their support and their affection for her majesties it's a lovely thing to see and we have a great sight here from the top end of the now this is looking back towards trafalgar square if i can just explain the geography to the left-hand side here we have um clarence house and st james's palace to the right we have st james's park so that gives you a sense of the direction here all of them moving right down to buckingham palace itself so as the crowd makes its way let's join jj once again yes i'm with john westlake veteran of the raf from the second world war and paul jenkins a royal navy veteran as well now john i know you watch this on tv every year how does it feel to be here it's amazing it's an experience of a lifetime and i'll never see another i've never seen another one like it i don't think any of us will in fairness of course you served in the normandy campaigns during the second world war the queen has such an affinity with the second world war generation why do you think that is well she was in the ats herself so she knows what soldiers have to go through and we've we've always highly respected her and um it's been an amazing experience for her to be in the army and to be able to rub soldiers speak to soldiers and they've been able to speak to her he's been amazing i mean she's the boss at the end of the day but i'm i feel greatly honoured to be here i mean she's an amazing lady she's done a lot for this country and i'm sure everybody appreciates it and paul you you served on the royal yacht britannia which is kind of a remarkable piece of history in itself but it's it's a setting that she was quite i suppose at home in what was it like to be able to see her you know in her comfort well we'd see the the queen there much of the queen on royal tour obviously between stop shooting if we travel from new zealand to australia she'd come he's gone bored and she's very very relaxed she'd walk around the ship dressed down whatever part of where we were and just generally speak to the creative from when we were working on she passed us then every sunday morning a number of you would go to into the royal apartments to a church service and then maybe watch a film to see the family as they are fantastic what what does it mean to you particularly as a veteran to be here today it means a lot i mean the britannia is now decommissioned but we still hold the service every year um i was up here 10 years ago to the civil jubilee and uh fantastic you know and to see the families as they are now growing up the match is a family to be proud of and they must be really really proud of her like we are knowing how you've seen her in the past what what will it mean to you to see her on the balcony today from this vantage point very very nice hopefully my wife especially she's really really pleased i mean but we've seen her 10 years ago but we were way down the mill after watching them they've come down the thames who would soak through but on the sunday it was like today bright sunshine people festive and you've got a funeral royalist you've got to be here you know i seen the first tube that when i see the jubilee sorry i said when she let's keep the wheels the television was black and white and we had the colored colored piece of paper in front of it to see it live to see it dressed up and finally marvelous she's a marvelous marvelous lady wonderful well it is going to be a marvelous day today as well and i hope you have a fantastic time and enjoy all of it oh a real sense of expectation building up look now you can see the density of the crowd on the mall working its way down towards buckingham palace enthusiastically waving flags cameras out phones out you can tell it's just going to be a moment to remember and what are they looking forward to well of course the family appearance but the family itself from the queen especially loves the flypast and the raf have been coming together from bases across the uk to create a jubilee flypast for her majesty degree [Music] to plan something of this scale does take time and we start number of months out my role is to look after planning and execution of the queen's platinum jubilee flight pass where we look at the numbers of aircraft and the numbers of people that are going to be involved we cover all the three services and all of the countries that make up the united kingdom to contribute towards this fly past take off so it'll be two pairs and a single turn it'll be five second stream within the elements we go through a whole planning cycle to develop how we're going to get over the palace on time and in good order i'll be the lead pilot of the lead aircraft in the wildcat mark ii and i'll be the observer in the left-hand seat of the wildcat so i'll be doing the navigation we use a simulator to run through the mission it enables us to fly the route it's over london through airspace it's not always open to us sharky you're seeing that bass in the middle of the river make sure the route that we have planned works with the timings and hopefully we've got to the right place at the right time perfect there's an element of nerves because obviously we're at the front so we're leading the formation but the nerves are there for a good reason because it means that you want to do the best for the armed forces in general we are based here at raf lossy mouth as part of the uk's uh anti-submarine patrol the professional bypass that you will see that doesn't just happen on its own a lot of work goes onto that behind the scenes that's got one two six scope clever takeoff surface wind 2609. my role as project officer is to ascertain what sort of a commitment rise air traffic control is going to have to provide during the flypast for all of the assets that we'll need to speak to on the day it's quite complicated to put something of this scale together from a planning process it's really actually opened my eyes into how much effort goes in behind the scenes the atlas a400m is a massive aircraft we weigh about 90 tonnes that's similar to a hdv vehicle that you'd see on the roads the flypast itself is timed down to the second there is no margin for error there's quite a large element of nerves make sure that we get it right because what we're doing isn't actually very easy jj sent the root data card we'll put that data in get that squared away the c17 is the heaviest aircraft we have in the royal air force fleet i was a treat the accuracy that we ask of our pilots and aircrew is is demanding plus or minus five seconds keeping it exactly in the right place so it looks perfect for her majesty we're talking feet in terms of how close the aircraft are flying you've got to bring two very fast moving objects together in a controlled manner and you've got to try and do that quickly but not so quickly that you end up arriving you know clapping it's really simple military aircraft don't fly without these support people [Music] i am an avionics technician on the raf battle of britain memorial flight these are like 80 years old some of them compared to a monday aircraft which has many computers like typhoon loads of software driven items this literally is held together by nuts and bolts and pieces of wire and strings that connect the flying controls it's just a whole different world for the classroom jubilee flypast i'll be the lancaster captain on the day the engineering of this aircraft is of utmost importance you know for us to be able to put these aircraft across the top of central london it has to be right what annoys [Applause] like 10 stuart roberts red 2 with the royal air force aerobatic team the red arrows i'll be flying on the wing of red one as we conclude the ceremony it's going to be my first time doing that and i'm hugely honoured and privileged to be doing it the queen's platinum jubilee fly pass is a one-time event there is no second goal if we get it wrong uniting with thousands of other military personnel on the day to show appreciation to the majesty the queen of her service is an immense honor i'm really really excited i know i'm going to feel a lot of pride as they go ahead but also a little bit of nerves as they make sure they get it right i hope that when people see us they don't just see an aircraft they see and understand the body of people that it takes to put these aircraft up in the air a once in a lifetime opportunity and to be able to say contributed to something like this is just incredible we get to apply for london and millions of people get to see what we do it's absolute honour it's brilliant this is one of the biggest events of the year to celebrate the queen's 70 years on the throne and to join with thousands of other military personnel to make it an epic occasion i think is really special and the fact that there'll be over 70 aircraft taking part is something to be really proud of [Applause] well if that doesn't wet the appetite nothing will now look at this great vista and that's uh the expanse of hyde park it's park lane just uh on the south of the screen there the bottom of the screen and then you have the expanse of hyde park and the serpentine uh ahead of us and that is where the king's troop will be firing that gun salute and they've started already 82 salutes for this platinum jubilee the interval between each round of fire is uh 10 seconds commanding officer major fran sykes is giving the orders ah so the gun salute is happening and it's being felt and heard all around this part of london and now we can see the extent of people spending on flags and all kinds of jubilee memorabilia two billion pounds expressions of thanks and you can imagine the people are now really keen to flow around clockwise and anti-clockwise this big stage that's been put up for the concert and there's the mall a scene which really you can't forget a sea of people who've come to pay their tribute to a record-breaking queen longest-serving monarch in british history who's just celebrated her 96th birthday and as we look at the palace and we've got all eyes on the balcony katie this is actually a very significant occasion it's it's hugely significant and i'm thinking back to the queen in that remarkable speech that she delivered to the nation when she said during the cover pandemic we will meet again and those words come to mind very much today because that's exactly what we're all doing we are all here we're all meeting again and we're all here for her majesty the queen i suspect that she wants this to be a chance to unite the nation it absolutely is but it must also be a celebration of a remarkable life and here she is [Applause] the doors are opening and listen to the reaction of this delighted and grateful crowd [Applause] a majesty the queen leading the prince of wales who's just taken the salute on her behalf at the birthday parade for the very first time duchess of cornwall princess royal and husband timothy lawrence the earl of wessex [Applause] and jamie is someone who knows the family and knows the armed forces and we see the three cambridge children here which again is the first time we've seen them taking part formally at an event like this what's going through your mind i think the fact that the her majesty is surrounded by her family is one thing just the fact that she is it's a wonderful sort of uh generational thing going on too with her majesty's birthday the prince of wales leading the parade and prince william's regiment the duke of cambridge's regiment the irish guards trooping the color it's a fantastic symmetry look at the skies everyone now very excited to see this well fly past on a scale that we've not seen for many many years just a word yes special formation so look out for the number 70 at one point and george and charlotte and louie being encouraged to focus on the skies above and the queen too saying have a look at that being led by an aircraft formation of helicopters from the royal navy to start with is the senior service a mix of wildcats and merlins and apaches and here goes the platinum jubilee flypast on this day of the queen's official birthday [Applause] queen surrounded by those working members of the royal family especially invited by her to be on this balcony to share this experience [Music] queen a very sharp focus on the approaching helicopters leading the way is a royal navy wildcat followed by two merlins and then another wildcat followed by three apaches operated by the british army and then there'll be another wildcat followed by three merlins three pumas from the royal air force and three chinooks from the royal air force two chinooks unmistakable and filling the air and filling the skies with this thunderous noise now this should be familiar to lots of people this is much loved it's the royal air force battle of britain memorial flight the lancaster only two of those in the condition to fly these days three spitfires and two hurricanes [Applause] there'll be a big cheer for the lancaster and the spitfires and the hurricanes with memories of the battle of britain and what was achieved there [Music] over the skies over buckingham palace and beyond three raf hercules c-130s proper workhorses [Music] they were heavily involved of course the hercules in operation pitting which was the uk's evacuation of civilians from afghanistan last year we were more than 15 000 people from kabul [Music] so what we have here i think is the poseidon and the rivet joint these are the ones that use the very latest technology to detect and identify and monitor targets above and below the waves poseidon and the rivet the rivet using sensors to survey and to intercept and exploit signals across the electromagnetic spectrum very important part in intelligence gathering [Music] and here we have the voyager one lightning and one typhoon as well coming in the wider formation [Music] that really is a definite roar in the skies above back in the palace in central london for royal air force hawk t2s i'm from maria valley and uh the future pilots of fast jets training on the hawk after training on the texan before that [Music] and there we have the formation of 70 special formation of 15 typhoons [Applause] between smiles and appreciation perfect formation [Music] that's wonderful but it's pretty noisy and here we are the climax of the platinum jubilee fly past no better sight in red white and blue nine hawks the raf aerobatics team the red arrows [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] you get the sense katie that the queen rather enjoyed that smiling all the way oh he will you know what they say when the queen smiles she lights up a room while she's lit up the mouth and beyond today she looked like she was enjoying every moment and to see her interact with her her little great grandchildren like that was just a joy to a joy to watch and listen to the response when the queen waves people want her to understand that they are sending their good wishes too that's it's palpable isn't it it absolutely is there was no guarantee that we would see the queen today we know she's been battling with these episodic mobility problems but here she is she wants to be seen and she's doing that in a nice splendid way [Music] the anthem is played that signals nearly the end of the balcony appearance the queen will now lead members of the royal family back into buckingham palace [Applause] crowd shows its appreciation once again that the monarch who wasn't able to attend the parade itself was nonetheless determined to appear not once but twice on that balcony to acknowledge a the troops and be of course the huge crowd all of them wishing her majesty a happy birthday [Music] jamie from your point of view given that we were talking about standards at the parade now we've seen the standard of the flypast again it's just underlined that where these events are concerned um the uk can still do it we can hugh and for those pilots and for the guardsmen on parade just seeing the reception they got from these crowds it's it's that affirmation point again it's absolutely wonderful to behold it a happy happy day katie just a final word about that balcony appearance and seeing those generations there just a sense of respect and admiration for the last 70 years absolutely and of course looking ahead as well well i think you at the point about the jubilee is it's a moment to reflect to look back to celebrate the now and to look forward and you saw the queen there with three generations of hers three future kings she said in that jubilee message she wants to look forward to the future with confidence and enthusiasm you get the feeling that she can absolutely do that well it's been a memorable start of this platinum jubilee celebration a birthday parade that's brought out the very best in the troops of course great day for everyone at the household division and a stunning tribute to her majesty the queen led of course by the prince of wales on horse guard so we look forward very much to the days ahead from katie nicholl jb low the pinkerton and from me thanks for watching and it's back to kirsty in the jubilee studio thanks thanks hugh and just look at those scenes on the mall if anybody was wondering if anybody dared wonder will people turn out for the platinum jubilee well there is their answer there is not room to breathe on the mall today and penelope thanks for coming back dean penelope um you and i both said we watched that fly past we watched the red arrows we looked at each other and we said thrilling yes an extraordinary sight and a fair tribute a wonderful tribute marvelous the queen herself i thought looking splendid today in that beautiful pale lavender dress coat with the white scrolls the signature hat the pearls on every inch her majesty and so interested in talking to her great great grandchildren yes interesting to see louis who i think inadvertently will have started a fashion trend today i think the online searches for sailor suits yes for any four-year-old will be off the charts and i want to ask you you've met on on many occasions when was the first time you met the queen in the 80s 1985 how did it go at chelsea flower show and she the kitchen garden and she came the first words my sovereign said to me were your onions are very small and where they did another one in 2014 good many years later we met quite a lot in the interim and added it to some moreland and seaside garden she said oh your boulders are very large and i thought what a long way now i know because i've seen you previously on television and i've read things you've written that you are unstinting in your support for the monarch what is it we try to capture it in words can you capture it what is it about her majesty what happened today all these people here in london are individuals all the people flying the planes marching in the army are individuals they've all come together to focus on one person who has held us all together through thick and thin for 70 years she's a constant she's been there and that's why we're so grateful it was such an interesting moment today to see her there with yes of course her own children her grandchildren and then her great grandchildren and she was very careful as you said dane penelope just to marshall the littlest one and say look this way and do that she's completely engaged in the moment that's right absolutely and still so interested how many times has she stood there and cheered for the red arrows and i think that was louis being told maybe by his mum to just take his thumb out his mouth because the cameras are watching before even the best regulated of families children do things they really shouldn't do in public there we are the highlight for you today then particularly was what alan titchmarsh i mean i if you know if you want pomp we've got it if it's circumstance you're after here's some it was absolutely immaculate that uh trooping the color it was it was an object lesson in in in how to do it it was brilliantly done what i think the other thing i felt is in penelope's fellowship it's the atmosphere here in london today all these people there is such joy and happiness after after two years of privation and we've been stuck we didn't quite know what to do we'll meet again the queen said we have met again yes here today and some that was exactly what katie was saying and i think she hit the nail on the the head there tim penelope about the idea that yes of course people do want to come and say hello to her majesty to give thanks but especially particularly now the coming together is the thing that the queen has spoken about and very much seems to be being done in her honor everybody just enjoying it yes and behaving so well um the moment is just thrilling uh alan what are you looking forward to this weekend what are you up to personally to celebrate i'm riding on a bus on sunday oh yes in the pageant um on the 1960s boss i'm not quite sure i'm on the 60s i was a teenager in the 60s you sound like you're not looking forward to it i'm looking forward to it hugely i'm very fingers crossed for the weather it's been glorious today if it rains i shall get wet i don't care i'll be there i can't believe you said the r word on that note so i say thank you very much to both of you thanks so much thanks for having us it's just about it for now it doesn't end here of course we have only just begun our long weekend of celebrations continues this evening here on bbc one when we bring you coverage of the traditional lighting of beacons all across the uk and around the commonwealth that's tonight at eight her majesty the queen will lead the lighting of the principal beacon which stands outside buckingham palace so do join me for that have a lovely jubilee afternoon bye bye for now

Channel: gpapidas

Views: 150,646

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Id: LTWAcTs-bNI

Length: 194min 7sec (11647 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 03 2022