Diamond Jubilee - National Service of Thanksgiving, St Paul's Cathedral - Part 1 of 2

and the city dignitaries are arriving it's the lord mayor of the city of london alderman david wooten who will welcome the queen and we'll see the great parallel sword which is a really rather magnificent object given to the lord made it he said it is the very one given by elizabeth the first and uh the scabbard which is being carried just in front of the city mace there the scabbard and the sword has two and a half thousand towels and the tradition is that the queen touches the sword when she arrives in the precinct of the city it's often historically been done at temple bar halfway along the strand but today it will be done this very brief ceremony a touching ceremony you might say on the steps of saint paul as the lord mayor listen to the lord mayor welcomes the queen she is the only person who can take precedence over him in the square mile of the city of london the great clergy in their fine array moving up the the aisle the bishop of london which charters is wearing a particularly fine coke today it's the silver jubilee coat created for that occasion in 1977. a regular possession now of the cars that we saw leaving palace and associated buildings arriving in front of the great west door of saint paul's the duke of york arriving with his two daughters eugenie and beatrice coming up the steps with the lord here we'll be up and down those steps a few times in the next few minutes the wind getting up a little bit but it hasn't deterred the crowd which you can see stretches down ludgate hill towards the strand from where we will see the climactic moments of this royal procession to some pools the scene at karen's house because this is where we see the departure of the prince of wales the duchess of cornwall prince harry and the duke and duchess of cambridge leaving clarence house switch of course for more than half a century was the home of the late queen mother and they're on their way be lots of interest today katie and what people are wearing in these cars yes there always is isn't it so so so important uh we always mention what everyone's wearing um we've seen the duchess set up there's just a just a glimpse of her brief glimpse um but we understand that she's uh she's wearing alexander mcqueen um an interesting choice of course because that was the designer that she chose to wear on her wedding day that fabulous gown designed by sarah burton and actually at each of the um jubilee engagements unless i'm mistaken she's worn mcqueen she's wearing the queen dress last night and she wore that beautiful scarlet mcqueen dress on on the river pageant which just enabled her to stand out and get very cold and get terribly cold just watching the prince of wales there just catching a glimpse of him in the car there simon and he underlined some remarkable facts last night in that speech at the end of the concert indeed he was three he was three just three years of age when his mother acceded to the throne and uh it's interesting that william iv that 64 is the oldest man to become king in british history but prince charles isn't far away he's 63 now i think no that's true yes that extraordinary span of years and he was the first child to witness parent crown actually um and in the in the tribute he made on film a wonderful shot to this little boy really but um yes he he will he will be um a veteran of royal duties and i can well it's interesting because charles and the queen saw their parents granted me because the queen attended her father's coronation how was she actually in in the abbey i think so i think so so that's interesting or at least saw the event or was was around for the event yes yes so they're through admiralty arch and they're on to the strand and simon will forgive me for indulging here in a bit of fascination about london history but i love the history of the strong simon and the fact that it was one of the great medieval thoroughfares of london and at one stage was on the banks of the river it was and um it was it was in fact a magnet both for loyalty and hatred as well actually it was burnt down during the peasants revolt in the reign of richard ii actually um it was associated with the house of lancaster and things at that point many centuries ago 14th century that could actually um attract disaffection as well as affection now we have a a kind of gentler strand it's a much generous run that's right well they they're crossing up they're going to pass charing cross station which was built in 1864 in the site of the old hungerford market sharing cross now one of the prime features of this part of london along the strand and it's a couple of miles up to saint paul's where we can join james again as the princess royal and her husband vice admiral tim lawrence moved to the front of the cathedral her brother the prince of wales will be as we heard arriving any moment the organ has been sounding magnificent this morning and it's entertained the congregation with some wonderful music got the contest of wessex joining the party so it will next be the prince of wales duchess of cornwall and prince harry and the duke and duchess of cambridge as we await the queen the scene at buckingham palace and thousands of people now in the stands still there after last night's concert which featured a galaxy of stars every name you can imagine who's had the biggest hits under the sun over the past 60 years they were all there last night and it was a great evening well the stands still in use today and you can see there the stage which is which a stage has been removed actually but the canopy around above the stage is still in place around the queen victoria memorial and final preparations now being made as the royal standard proudly flying final preparations for the queen's departure from buckingham palace this morning ready for this service at st paul's other members of the royal family making their way along the strand and towards fleet street past the church of saint clement dane is the raf church just at the point of entry there into the city of london just passing somerset house in bush house so the cards we're looking at now are carrying prince of wales duchess of cornwall prince harry luke and duchess of cambridge so they're just a few minutes away passing the law courts there just a few minutes away i'm arriving at saint paul's cathedral but very soon within a few yards they'll be passing temple bar as it's known that's the old formal point of entry into the city of london you can see the memorial there the center of street street and the queen is now leaving the palace in the state bentley that was given to her 10 years ago at the golden jubilee and accompanied today by lady fauna lady in waiting because of course the duke of edinburgh is unable to attempt it would have been terribly saddened for the queen to make that journey um on her own and of course um the duke is going to be very much in everyone's thoughts at the service this morning um but then she is looking looking rather wonderful and actually you know nothing not the weather not anything uh seems to be able to dampen on one experience which is why i think she is just so hugely popular and why those crowds continue to be there many of whom have camped out overnight crowds rushing to the edge of the stands there just to have their important photos because they need the photos taken now just in case the weather turns a little later on you never know we've got our fingers crossed it's not quite as sunny as it was but it's still mercifully dry so a leisurely pace for the state bentley as the queen takes in the sights around the mall passing st james's park one of the loveliest parks in london 58 acres of it at one stage full of exotic animals the land was uh bought by henry viii back in 1531 it's been a kind of zoo at one stage now nicely laid out by nash and by george iv into its current form but it's a lovely park you'll notice hugh the queen is very prepared for her journey in the carriage on the way back there's a little blanket that she always has over her knees and of course those um those ubiquitous white gloves she only ever has gloves in white or black and they're always worn very very thin no it's hard to think um of the palace without them all but the more in fact was a 20th century creation it was widened precisely because of the need for these beautiful public processions and there was a sort of um feedback loop really between the processions that we all need and the cleverness with which they're designed to be at once very august and very um uh dramatically beautiful for for the public to be able to show their affection once the streets were of london were a dangerous place you king george iii had his carriage pelted with stones and people loved george iii normally but the year was 1795 even before i was born and there was hunger and a very unpopular war and it didn't take long for george iii to recover the wonderful affection as farmer george insanity and madness back at st paul's and more people arriving let's join james and the prince wales the duchess of cornwall and prince harry mount the steps to enter the cathedral lord mayor subject to the gusts of the wind that's blowing up mudgate hill as he welcomes the duke and duchess of cambridge just behind prince of wales who will sit beside his mother the queen of this service in the absence of his father there is of course uh familiarity between these members of the royal family and the clergy to whom they're now saying good morning prince of wales it's very close in particular to the bishop of london richard charters students at cambridge the city to which the architecture began to bring rhode williams will be retiring at the end of the year the dean of the cathedral having a quiet word with the duchess of cambridge as she takes her place just a year or so after her marriage into the royal family prince of wales and morning dress today military uniforms are being worn by members of the royal family and when they are in their places and the queen arrives she'll be greeted by two fanfares one outside and one inside trumpets of the raf inside we've been taking their places in preparation for that great moment and the honour they have for welcoming to the city duke of cambridge um having a friendly word with the archbishop and they all see quite a lot of each other of course so these are these are surprisingly intimate moments seemed quite a bit to say this morning smiling prince william who enjoyed the rock concert at buckingham palace last night not wearing a tie which was rather a pleasing sight for a lot of other people who weren't wearing ties but he's in proper formality this morning talking to his brother with the duchess of cornwall the prince of wales ahead of them they will move up the nave and we will await the arrival of her majesty the queen well the cheers of god save the queen at st paul's are probably loud enough to be heard all the way down fleet street and the strand the queen probably knows that she can expect a rousing welcome at st paul's cathedral which is around a couple of miles away from this point which is just through trafalgar square past that wonderful statue of charles the first which is staring down whitehall and onto the strand crossing behind the magnificent church of martin in the fields and passed uh charring cross station side to the old charring cross yellen across and into this area of london that has changed so much over the year simon yes yes it has um again it it was it was always a place really from the early 19th century in which some sense of what the nation wanted hence trafalgar square nelson's column the national gallery again was thought of always as somewhere where the british people would come in trafalgar square so on the whole were allergic to piazza's as christopher wren found out to his dismay but every so often we want broad streets and a little sense of what binds us together in a ceremonial space but it should never get in the way of of commerce and business and uh wren did have a lot of his plans for the city frustrated by two facts of life the need for processions down the nave and the need for business and the duke of cambridge is uh still enjoying a happy world at the uh doors of the cathedral here everyone is waiting for the formality to begin but at the moment it's really rather a relaxed atmosphere very pleasant the politicians are all chatting to each other they represent other faiths who are here all sitting together representative of the hindu community the buddhist community in britain the sikhs of course lord sachs the chief rabbi is in the congregation too this morning and they are all extremely proud of the part they play in this service the representatives of course of the three churches as well and of the orthodox church st vincent nichols the archbishop of westminster catholic archbishop of westminster and his predecessor cormac murphy o'connor is is with us today and uh keith o'brien uh cardinal o'brien from edinburgh who's in fact the senior catholic cardinal lord kerry the former archbishop of course and uh they're all together in that part of the cathedral the uh archbishop of the greek archdiocese of great britain and uh the stira is the most reverend gregorius a very uh identifiable figure there with the traditional beard so uh silence is beginning to take hold in the cathedral everyone aware that in two or three minutes the service of thanksgiving will begin and the music i can promise you is going to be wonderful and we'll hear from that diamond choir of 41 children from around the country who sing a newly composed anthem by william todd the words by michael hempel which is a remarkable anthem which has had a profound effect and those who've heard it i think it at the preparations for this service which of course of course have been intense and the excitement on the faces of these young singers is a a genuinely moving thing to see they're in the the choir with the choir of the cathedral of course men and boys who will give us a wonderful blast when the queen arrives we are a few minutes away from the queen's arrival at st paul's cathedral where there would be a grand fanfare by the state trumpeters of the household cavalry queens just passing temple bar and into the confines of the old city of london previous jubilees of course in the carriages the carriages have stopped there for the greeting by the lord mayor of the city of london but today's arrangements are not quite as formal as that past the law courts and and down along fleet street the former province of all the great newspapers lord moved out now of course down towards ludgate circus site of the old ludgate which was one of the old roman gates into the city of london and then there'll be a great view from that point up to saint paul's cathedral the whole area dotted with glorious city churches including saint brides and the wonderfully named saint andrew near the wardrobe which i like simon because it's a reference to the days when the monarchy's clothing was kept in one place yes incredibly important well as we know from from casey monica's clothing's still very important actually absolutely absolutely and we know that the queen is uh well she looks beautiful doesn't she in mint green uh it's a dress and coat by her designer of tennis angela kelly who the queen has remained devoted to very loyal to and she wore angela kelly of course on on pageant day as well so 10 out of 10 for that outfit very beautiful crossing blood gate circus and then final stretch along ludgate hill and i think we'll be able to expect a pretty rousing chair when the queen emerges from the car what will happen now is that the bentley will approach the cathedral and when it arrives the queen's presence will be signaled it'll be fanfared by the uh state trumpeters four of them from the lifeguards four from the blues and royals they'll have a very busy day today because they'll have fanfares outside and inside the cathedral and later on at the palace of westminster they're led today by the trumpet major tim west so the queen the national service of thanksgiving arrives at st paul's cathedral the queen is bleated by the lord mayor alderman david wooten she's touched the sword the pearl sword which is born up the steps given to the city of london by elizabeth the first she waves to the huge crowd which is gathered here outside the cathedral and walks alone up the steps to join the rest of her family she'll sit beside the prince of wales and we will hear the second fanfare as she enters the cathedral the dean escorts her to the west door itself um is is oh oh oh foreign oh is is oh oh christmas so we come to this cathedral church today to give thanks to almighty god for the prosperous reign of the queen and to rejoice together in this year of her majesty's jubilee as we celebrate 60 years of her sovereignty and service as we come together as loyal subjects from all parts of the realms and commonwealth of nations we give thanks for the blessings bestowed by god on our sovereign lady queen elizabeth and we celebrate the identity and variety which our nations under her have enjoyed we come as people of faith to pray for her majesty the queen and all members of the royal family asking that god will continue to bless and guide them in all that they undertake and that they may find strength and in the celebration of this jubilee we also come to give thanks for her majesty's loyal service and commitment lived through a deep sense of vocation in christ to the glory of almighty god praying that we may be inspired by her example and that god will continue to grant her steadfastness of faith and the love of all her people all these are thanksgivings and prayers we offer to almighty god in the words that jesus taught us our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever so uh foreign so does not wisdom call and does not understanding raise her voice here for i will speak noble things and from my lips will come what is right for my mouth will utter truth wickedness is an abomination to my lips all the words of my mouth are righteous there is nothing twisted or crooked in them they're all straight to one who understands and write to those who find knowledge take my instruction instead of silver and knowledge rather than choice gold for wisdom is better than joel's and all that you may desire cannot compare with her i wisdom live with prudence i attain knowledge and discretion oh is is is is foreign happy my the prime minister will now read the new testament lesson i appeal to you therefore brothers and sisters by the mercies of god to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to god which is your spiritual worship do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may discern what is the will of god what is good and acceptable and perfect for by the grace given to me i say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment each according to the measure of faith that god has assigned for as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function so we who are many are one body in christ and individually we are members one of another we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us prophecy in proportion to faith ministry in ministering the teacher in teaching the exhorter in exhortation the giver in generosity the leader in diligence the compassionate in cheerfulness let love be genuine hate what is evil hold fast to what is good love one another with mutual affection outdo one another in showing honor do not lag in zeal be ardent in spirit serve the lord rejoice in hope be patient in suffering persevere in prayer contribute to the needs of the saints extend hospitality to strangers bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse them rejoice with those who rejoice weep with those who weep live in harmony with one another do not be haughty but associate with the lowly do not claim to be wiser than you are do not repay anyone evil for evil but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all if it is possible so far as it depends on you live peaceably with all the archbishop of canterbury dr rowan williams will now give the sermon in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen some words from saint paul present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to god there will be other occasions to remember the splendor and the drama of the coronation today's focus is different what we remember is the simple statement of commitment made by a very young woman away from home suddenly and devastatingly bereaved a statement that she would be there for those she governed that she was dedicating herself to them dedication is a word that has come to mean rather less than it used to those of us who belong to the same generation as her majesty's older children will recall a 60s song about a dedicated follower of fashion as though to be dedicated just meant to be very enthusiastic but in the deep background of the word is the way it is used in classical and biblical language and in this context to be dedicated is to be absolutely removed from other uses being completely available to god and so to be dedicated to the good of a community in this case both a national and an international community is to say i have no goals that are not the goals of this community i have no well-being no happiness that is not the well-being of the community what will make me content or happy is what makes for the good of this particular part of the human family it's an ambitious even an audacious thing to aim at it is of course no more so than the ideals set before all christians who try to model their lives on what saint paul says about life in the body of christ that doesn't make it any easier to grasp or to live out but the way saint paul approaches it should help us to see that we're not being encouraged to develop a self-punishing attitude relentlessly denying our own goals or our own flourishing for the sake of others what's put before us is a genuine embrace of those others a willingness to be made happy by the well-being of our neighbors outdo one another in showing honor says saint paul compete with each other only in the generous respect you show to one and all because in learning that respect you will find delight in one another you will begin to discover that the other person is a source of nourishment excitement pleasure growth and challenge and if we broaden this out to an entire community a nation a commonwealth it means discovering that it is always in an ever widening set of relations that we become properly ourselves dedication to the service of a community certainly involves that biblical sense of an absolute purge of selfish goals but it is also the opening of a door into shared riches i don't think it's at all fanciful to say that in all her public engagements our queen has shown a quality of joy in the happiness of others she has responded with just the generosity scent paul speaks of in showing honor to countless local communities and individuals of every background and class and race she has made her public happy and all the signs are that she is herself happy fulfilled and at home in these encounters the same of course can manifestly be said of prince philip and our prayers and thoughts are very much with him this morning to declare a lifelong dedication is to take a huge risk to embark on a costly venture but it is also to respond to the promise of a vision that brings joy and perhaps that's the challenge that this jubilee sets before us in nation and commonwealth saint paul implies that we should be so overwhelmed by the promise of a shared joy far greater than narrow individual fulfillment that we find the strength to take the risks and make the sacrifices even if this seems to reduce our individual hopes of secure enjoyment moralists archbishops included can thunder away as much as they like of course but they'll make no difference unless and until people see that there is something transforming and exhilarating about the prospect of a whole community rejoicing together being glad of each other's happiness and safety this alone is what will save us from the traps of ludicrous financial greed of environmental recklessness of collective fear of strangers and collective contempt for the unsuccessful and marginal and many more things that we see far too much of around and within us one crucial aspect of discovering such a vision and many still do discover it in their service of others despite everything is to have the stories and examples available that show it's possible thank god there are many wonderful instances lived out unobtrusively throughout the country and the commonwealth but we are marking today the anniversary of one historic and very public act of dedication a dedication that has endured faithfully calmly and generously through most of the adult lives of most of us here we are marking six decades of living proof that public service is possible and that it is a place where happiness can be found to seek one's own good and one's own well-being in the health of the community is sacrificially hard work but it is this search that is truly natural to the human heart that's why it is not a matter of tight-lipped duty or grudging compliance with someone else's demands jesus himself says my food is to do the will of him who sent me that's what is at the heart of real dedication this year has already seen a variety of jubilee creations and projects but its most lasting memorial would be the rebirth of an energetic generous spirit of dedication to the common good and the public service the rebirth of a recognition that we live less than human lives if we think just of our own individual good listen again for a moment to saint paul we have gifts that differ according to the grace given us the giver in generosity the leader in diligence the compassionate in cheerfulness outdo one another in showing honor extend hospitality to strangers rejoice with those who rejoice weep with those who weep live in harmony with one another take thought for what is noble in the sight of all dedication to the health and well-being of a community is all this and more may we be given the grace to rediscover this as we give thanks today for her majesty's 60 years of utterly demanding yet deeply joyful service you

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Keywords: hm the queen, diamond jubilee celebrations, thanksgiving service, st paul's cathedral, city of london, guildhall, mansion house

Id: KrlaW_IpRg0

Length: 53min 7sec (3187 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 15 2012