| The Queen At 80: Thousands Turn Out To Say 'Happy Birthday Ma'am' |
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| Written by Joanne Leyland | |
| Friday, 21 April 2006 | |
 Never
in her wildest dreams could the Queen have expected so many people to
descend on the quaint old streets of Windsor, just to catch a glimpse
of her on her special day.It's being estimated that a mammoth 15,000 people lined the streets of the royal borough to see Her Majesty as she embarked on a walkabout which lasted for around 45 minutes. As one TV News station here in Britain noted: it's many thousands more than the crowds who turned out for the other big royal event of the past year, the wedding of Charles and Camilla. Looking radiant in bright fuschia pink, and accompanied at all times by her husband of almost 59 years, Prince Philip, the Queen set a steady pace as she walked down the streets of Windsor to receive the good wishes and (yes) love of those who had left their own homes in the hope they would get to pass on their personal birthday greetings. Amongst the throngs of wellwishers were people who had travelled from many of the Commonwealth nations over which the Queen reigns, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. As always, Prince Philip stayed in the background, as happy as ever to allow the spotlight to fall on his wife. However, it's only fair that it should be noted how very nice and chatty he was with people in the crowd.  Philip is
famous for reaching behind barriers and quite literally lifting
children off their feet and over the barrier before pointing them in the direction of the Queen, so keen is he that everybody enjoys the chance to hand over their flowers or gifts.Not that you'd know this by reading the newspapers, of course. The Duke of Edinburgh receives a bad press almost 99% of the time but we rarely hear of his unending service to the nation or the many times he gets things exactly right. How easy it is to forget that Philip is now almost 85 years of age. Not for him the equally deserved thanks of thousands of people when he marks his birthday on June 10th....but then again, Philip doesn't 'do' fuss! There was one especially lovely moment from the Queen's walkabout. With Her Majesty stood close by, accepting flowers and presents from enthusiastic members of the public, a crowd of very vocal children had their own unique tribute for the monarch, singing a very lively rendition of "2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate? Theeeeeeee Queen!!!!!!". The large numbers of Press photographers were likely disappointed to note that the Queen refused to accept a balloon on which was printed her age. What a picture that would have been! They shouldn't worry, however, as the walkabout offered numerous wonderful images, the Queen repeatedly beaming and almost giggling with joy as she saw for herself just how much the people on the street genuinely care about her.  Around 45 minutes
after she first appeared at the King Henry VIII Gates, the Queen gave a
clear signal that she was ready to retreat back indoors, moving towards
the Royal limousine, at which point the air was permeated by very
audible groans of disappointment from those onlookers yet to enjoy a
meeting with the star of the show.Come on, do remember, guys, the Queen is 80 years old and has spent half of her life undertaking extensive walkabouts. Even H.M. deserves some time off on her birthday! Meanwhile, yet another close relative of the Queen has spoken out to confirm that Her Majesty has absolutely no intention of abdicating. Countess Mountbatten, the eldest daughter of Prince Philip's assassinated Uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, says the Queen sees her jobs as "a role for life" and intends to continue to serve the people of the UK and Commonwealth nations for "however long she lived." Pamela Mountbatten is a lifelong friend and confidante of Elizabeth. Also close to the Prince of Wales, the Countess reaffirmed the widely-held notion that the Queen will cut back on her workload meaning her son and heir, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla will likely be called upon to take on some of the burdens of monarchy. In other news relating to the Queen's 80th birthday, Sky News is running a poll of viewers in which they ask: Who do you think should succeed the Queen? Having been running since dawn, at 4pm (UK time) the results were standing at:
 Also today, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has paid tribute to the Head of State, telling ITV's The Girl Who Would Be Queen, which is due to be broadcast at 8.30pm tonight: "We
have a weekly audience and she is very witty, in private conversations,
very personally kind and immensely shrewd in her judgments.""She has obviously seen an extraordinary amount, in her time as monarch. I remember the very first conversation that we had and she reminded me that Winston Churchill had been Prime Minister, and so she's accumulated the experience of years and years and years, and she deploys that with a very great sense of judgment." There would no possibly be some people who would like to remind Mr Blair of that next time he stands up Her Majesty (as has frequently been the case) and/or opts instead to undertake his weekly audience via the telephone instead of travelling the short distance from No. 10 Downing Street to Buckingham Palace. But don't expect such a comment to come from the Queen herself. After over 54 years of duty, she continues to be the consummate professional and would never deign to tell anybody that she is "not amused". Comment on this article
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