Britain Celebrates Queen's 50th Year on the Throne

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, June 02, 2002

Britain Celebrates Queen's 50th Year on the Throne

Thousands of people enjoyed an evening of music, dance and fireworks in a lavish classical concert on Saturday to celebrate the Queen's 50th year on the throne.

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Thousands of people enjoyed an evening of music, dance and fireworks in a lavish classical concert on Saturday to celebrate the Queen's 50th year on the throne.

In the gardens of Buckingham Palace, and outside on The Mall, people came to watch a star-studded array of performers including Dame Kiri Ti Kanawa and Sir Thomas Allen.

The evening reached a climax with a surprise appearance by the Queen outside the palace to greet the 40,000 well wishers who watched the evening on widescreens outside.

It was the first concert of its kind in the grounds of Buckingham Palace which was transformed into a giant arena for the 12,000 revellers who won tickets in a national ballot.

Eighteen members of the Royal Family were among the audience, including the Queen, Prince Charles and his long-term companion Camilla Parker Bowles.

The musical gala and the televised concert were broadcast live in more than 40 countries.

Outside the Buckingham Palace, 40,000 eager not to miss the show lined The Mall -- waving the British flag, watching through widescreens as thousand more watched in parks across the capital.

The concert, which began at 2000 BST (1900 GMT) and lasted for two hours, took two years to prepare.

It ended with a reworked version of the national anthem greeted with a rapturous applause and a chorus of singing from the audience.

About 2 million people applied for tickets to the classical extravaganza and a pop concert on Monday.

The lucky revellers who won tickets in a national ballot to attend the performance started arriving at 1600 BST (1500 GMT). Each received a hamper as gift from the Queen to enjoy a picnic on her lawns.

The 'People's Party' officially begins on Monday with street parties across the country and a three-hour pop concert at Buckingham Palace.

Performers will include Irish pop band The Corrs, ageing rocker Ozzy Osbourne and Pop Idol winner Will Young.

Younger members of the Royal Family, such as Princes William and Harry, were expected to attend.

After the concert, the Queen will go to the front of the Palace to light the last in a chain of beacons stretching round Britain and the world.

The beacon will be lit by the Millennium flame -- which the Queen used to light her beacon on the River Thames on Millennium Eve in 1999 -- and will set off a spectacular 15-minute show of fireworks, music and moving images.

A total of 1,956 beacons are being lit across Britain with many more in all of the Commonwealth countries.

On Tuesday there will be a state procession in the Golden Coach to St Paul's for a Thanksgiving Service.

This will be followed by parades and pageants in the Mall throughout the afternoon and a flypast by the RAF and Concorde.

Estimates from the English Tourist Council predict one third of Britons will take part in a Golden Jubilee event of some kind over the long bank holiday weekend.

For those in the capital, London Underground is providing an all-night tube service after Monday's festivities, but with restricted entry at busy stations.

The police are keeping a careful eye on the celebrations but say things have so far been very peaceful. More than 10,000 officers will be on duty in a multi-million pound security operation.

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