On Wednesday 6th June, The Queen sat down and dined with representatives from all 54 commonwealth countries and heads of government, after four days of breath-taking, historic, worldwide celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee.
The Queen arrived with her lady-in-waiting at Marlborough House and was greeted by the host of the lunch, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma. Queen Elizabeth, who was celebrating 60 years of reign, then continued into Marlborough house, meeting guests at the Blenheim Saloon reception.
Queen Elizabeth, dressed in subtle shades of blue and grey, took her place at the table, amongst over 70 guests, including heads of government and the representatives. Queen Elizabeth and the guests were served avocado terrine and brie, wild sea bass and an apple crumble soufflé for dessert. The meal was accompanied by South African wine.
During the lunch, the guests were entertained by the amazing British singer Laura Wright, who performed ‘Strong as One’, which was written for especially for the Queens Diamond Jubilee. Entertainment also came from the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra.
After the lunch, the commonwealth leaders and heads of government, including Prime Minister David Cameron, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, the Sultan of Brunei and Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, all stepped outside into the Marlborough House garden to take a large group photo with Her Majesty.
Once the photograph was taken, the commonwealth representatives then awarded The Queen with a gift.
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who is 90-years old, was once again missing from Her Majesty’s side. The Queens husband was placed in hospital due to a bladder infection. Prince Philip missed a huge majority of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations as a result of his illness.
Prince Philip missed out on some the spectacular events of the Queens Diamond Jubilee including the Diamond Jubilee concert, on Monday 4th July, in the Mall at the front of Buckingham Palace which was watched by more than 17 million viewers around the globe. Performances came from celebrities such as Sir Elton John and Sir Cliff Richard.
Other memorable Diamond Jubilee events consisted of the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames, the biggest gathering on the river for 350 years. The Ivestec Derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse, where she presented jockey Joseph O’Brien with The Diamond Jubilee Coronation Cup. Also the Service of Thanksgiving were a number of the Royal Family attended, including the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Get involved and be part of the Historic event, by visiting 2012 Queens Diamond Jubilee souvenir shop and purchasing your very own memorable items, which range from items such as amazing Diamond Jubilee china, books and DVDs about Queen Elizabeth II, to jewellery, compact mirrors and commemoratives.
