Buckingham Palace rocks in queen's honor - CNN.com Buckingham Palace rocks in queen's honor By Barry Neild, CNN Updated 8:38 AM ET, Tue June 5, 2012 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – Queen Elizabeth II appears on stage at the climax of the diamond jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in London, England. Hide Caption Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – Fireworks light up the stage at the climax of the concert. Hide Caption 2 of 11 Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – Former Beatles singer Paul McCartney headlines at the queen's diamond jubilee concert. McCartney kicked off his set with "Magical Mystery Tour." Hide Caption 3 of 11 Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – Singers Will.i.am and Stevie Wonder perform on stage. Wonder altered the lyrics to some of his songs to pay tribute to the queen.

Hide Caption 4 of 11 Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – Elton John began his set with "I'm Still Standing," perhaps also in homage to the queen's long reign. Hide Caption 5 of 11 Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – Singer Grace Jones sings her hit "Slave to the Rhythm" while spinning a hula hoop on her hips. Hide Caption Photos: Music stars honor the queen jubilee 4 – Singer Annie Lennox performs performs her hit "Must Be Talking to an Angel." Hide Caption 7 of 11 Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth band perform a song specially written for the event. Hide Caption 8 of 11 Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – Australian singer Kylie Minogue performs a medley of her hits on stage during the diamond jubilee concert. Hide Caption 9 of 11 Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams performs on stage at the opening of the concert at Buckingham Palace.

Hide Caption 10 of 11 Photos: Music stars honor the queen Jubilee concert – A military band from the British Army's Scots Guard play as the concert honoring the queen gets underway at Buckingham Palace. Hide Caption Buckingham Palace hosts a star-studded diamond jubilee concert in honor of the queen Elton John, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney among big names playing Queen's husband, Prince Philip, unable to attend after being checked into hospital Queen uses laser beam to light last in a global sequence of 4,200 beacons With a military band, a string orchestra and electric guitars on full blast, London's Buckingham Palace was transformed into a rock venue on Monday as some of the biggest names in music celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee. Former Beatle Paul McCartney headlined a colorful evening of flag-waving entertainment that also saw Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Tom Jones take the stage alongside younger acts. The event was one of the highlights of four days of festivities that have united millions to honor the long-serving British monarch.

As psychedelic illuminations and the reds, whites and blues of the Union Jack lit up the facade of the palace, McCartney played some of his greatest hits to an audience that included Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne. The queen was also there having joined her family at the concert's midway point. Her husband, 90-year-old Prince Philip, did not attend the show as he had been hospitalized earlier in the day with a bladder infection. Photos: Photos: Lady Gaga – Queen Elizabeth II meets American singer Lady Gaga following the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, England on December 7, 2009. Returning to the British seaside town for the first time since 1955, the Royal Variety Performance is an annual event which showcases popular music and entertainment. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Ozzy Osbourne – During 'Party at the Palace' in honor of the Queen's 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations, the queen meets bat-eating Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and bizarrely, Kermit the Frog at the same time.

12,000 people watched a pop concert featuring singers spanning many generations in the garden of Buckingham Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 50 years on the throne. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Paul McCartney – Britain's Queen Elizabeth II meets Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy Shevell as she visits the Royal Academy of Arts in central London Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Brian May – Queen Elizabeth II meets legendary guitarists Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Brian May during a reception at Buckingham Palace in London, 1 March 2005. The all-star gathering is a royal tribute to Britain's music industry and follows an earlier children's concert at the Palace Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: annie lennox queen – Scottish singer Annie Lennox meets the queen following the annual Commonwealth Day Observance Service at Westminster Abbey on March 14, 2011. The theme of the event was 'Women as Agents of Change.' Lennox is well known for her HIV/AIDS activism.

Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Madonna – The queen of pop meets the queen of England -- Madonna curtsies as she meets the queen at the world premiere for 2002 Bond film, 'Die Another Day.' Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: The Spice Girls – In 2001, the queen met girlband sensation the Spice girls after a variety performance in London. Here she shakes Geri 'ginger spice' Halliwell's hand as the rest of the group look on. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Shirley Bassey – HM Queen Elizabeth II meets singer Dame Shirley Bassey backstage following the Royal Variety Performance, November 21, 2005 in Cardiff, Wales Hide Caption MUST WATCH Britain rocks out for queen's jubilee 00:10 At the concert's climax the monarch, dressed in a gold gown, joined the cast of performers on stage to ignite the last in a sequence of beacons burning around the world -- a fiery salute to her 60 years on the throne.

Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – kasialondon stumbled upon court jesters entertaining at London's iconic Trafalgar Square in celebration of the queen's Diamond Jubilee. "The jesters were joking, laughing and making merriment for people," she says. "It was a lot of fun." Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – Kasialondon sent in this shot to iReport of their Diamond Jubilee celebrations including a jubilee street picnic in London. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – Susanvel60 will be having a tea-riffic weekend celebrating the queen's Diamond Jubilee at several tea houses in New Jersey and New York. "I love the Queen. She has been the pillar of stability for all these years and I feel like she really loves her job.

60 years is a long time and I just really admire her dedication to her country and her love for her country." Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – A group of American Airlines international flight attendants gather in London for the Thames Jubilee pageant on Sunday. Last year they attended the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on the Mall. They told iReport: "This year we couldn't wait for the flotilla. It is was amazing and beautiful day, even in the rain." Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – Britons around the world celebrate the queen's 60-year milestone by throwing street parties and jubilee events at home. Here a group of expatriates living in Hong Kong celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with a British-themed dinner of Coronation chicken salad and Toad in the Hole. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Britain's royals – A portrait of the queen by expressionist painter Stephen B. Whatley.

Whatley, who has completed several works for the Royal Collections, says he made the queen laugh when he told her how he was locked in the Tower of London to paint the Crown Jewels. "As she moved away, she looked over her shoulder and said: 'I'm pleased they let you out.'" He adds: "She came across with a great humility, open-heartedness and willingness to learn." Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – James Mills poses in the uniform he wore while working for the queen from 2002 to 2006. Mills, from Scotland, says: "I had some fantastic memories from my time including dancing the St. Bernard's Waltz with the queen at the 'Ghillies Ball' -- a dance held at Balmoral Castle. Mills also attended the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla at Windsor Castle, the queen's 80th birthday party, and met President George W.

Bush during a state visit in November 2003." Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – Tatum Botha, then aged nine, waits to meet the queen in Brisbane, Australia on October 24, 2011. Tatum had previously written to the queen and wanted to meet her for as long as she could remember, mom Chaleen Botha told CNN. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – Queen Elizabeth II accepts a bouquet from nine-year-old Tatum Botha, October 24, 2011. Tatum's mom Chaleen says the meeting was a dream come true for her daughter. "The Queen said, 'Thank you.' Tatum replied, 'It's a pleasure.'" Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – Christine E. Denicola, an attorney from Lincoln, Nebraska, has an unexpected encounter with the Queen Mother at an event to honor military veterans on November 08, 1997.

"While the meeting was unplanned, I was thrilled to meet the Queen Mother because I knew about how brave she'd been during World War Two, how supportive she'd been of her husband during the time he was king -- and this was prior to the movie, 'The King's Speech,' -- and how she'd not expected to be the queen consort. " Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Brisbane, Australia, October 24, 2011. This photo was taken by Chaleen Botha shortly after the monarch met her daughter, nine-year-old Tatum. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: CNN iReporters celebrate British royalty Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip tour a college in Burnley, England on May 16, 2012. CNN iReporter Mohammed Seedat, an education ambassador who took the photo, said: "She came in and talked to some of the students. I was taking snaps from the front seat when she turned and looked at me.

I was quite scared, I didn't know if I was supposed to be taking photos, but in the end she seemed fine." Hide Caption Gary Barlow lands Official Number 1 album for Diamond Jubilee 03 June 2012 Gary Barlow lands Official Number 1 album for Diamond Jubilee Gary Barlow and The Commonwealth Band take the Official Albums Chart Number 1 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend! Plus see the Official Albums Chart Top 10! Google + Gary Barlow's Diamond Jubilee celebrations have officially started 24 hours earlier than expected as Sing, the album featuring Gary Barlow and The Commonwealth Band, becomes the Official Albums Chart Number 1 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend! Though Hackney starlet Paloma Faith had taken the lead midweek with new album Fall To Grace, it seems that the nation has been swept up into royal fever in the latter half of the week as the UK gears up for Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Co-written by Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd-Webber, two of the UK's greatest living songwriters, the Jubilee song Sing unites some of the Commonwealth's most talented and diverse musicians, led by Gareth Malone and his ever-expanding Military Wives Choir. Proceeds from the Sing album will raise funds for The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. Sing also gives Gary Barlow his first Number 1 album this century outside of Take That, and at the most apt time; Gary is organising tomorrow's Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace at which the Commonwealth Band will come together for the first time to perform Sing live. The music for Sing has also been available for download so that the whole nation can join in when the Commonwealth Band perform it tomorrow. Gary today told OfficialCharts.com : "I couldn't have wished for anything more on this momentous weekend!" Andrew Lloyd-Webber added: "I'm absolutely thrilled, this is a burst of sunshine on a rainy Sunday - let's hope the sun shines on Gary's concert tomorrow." New entries Paloma Faith’s Fall To Grace ends the week in a respectable second place.

The second studio album from the singer/songwriter, produced by Nellee Hooper, gives her her highest charting record to date as 2009 debut album Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful peaked at Number 9. The albums features Top 10 single Picking Up The Pieces. In a surge of 11 new entries in total this week, Rumer’s Boys Don’t Cry lands at 3 with New York glam pop outfit Scissor Sisters sparkling away at four. Salford tenor Russell Watson’s Anthems completes the Top 5. Elsewhere Iceland’s Sigur Ros are back with new album Valtari (8), Melody Gardot’s The Absence (18), Alt-J’s An Awesome Wave (19), Ultravox’s Brilliant (21), and Regina Spektor’s What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (24). And finally, completing this week’s Official Albums Chart Top 40 new entries is Public Image Limited with their first studio release in 20 years, This Is PiL (35).

In a recent interview with OfficialCharts.com, PiL and SexPistolsfrontman John Lydon, AKA Johnny Rotten, let slip that he actually had no idea the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was coming up this weekend. The singer, who caused wide-spread public outrage with his band’s single God Save The Queenduring Her Majesty Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee 35 years ago, was asked what he was planning to do to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, he told OfficialCharts.com: “I wasn’t actually aware it was coming up! And I’m not joking, this is the actual truth.” Lydon added that he didn’t remember much of Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee, either. “When the Sex Pistols did the Jubilee Boat Tour, I was in no fit condition to be aware that was happening either.” The Official Albums Chart Top 10 is as follows. Click here to see the Top 100 in full after 7PM.

01 Pop royalty to sing for Queen's jubilee Pop royalty to sing for Queen's jubilee By IBT Staff Reporter On 02/07/12 AT 9:40 AM Music stars from every decade of Queen Elizabeth's 60-year reign, ranging from Shirley Bassey to Jessie J, will perform at a concert outside Buckingham Palace in June to celebrate the British monarch's diamond jubilee. They have a hard act to follow after Brian May, the guitarist from superstar band Queen, performed an electric version of God Save the Queen on the roof of the palace during a similar concert 10 years ago, for the golden jubilee. Gary Barlow of the band Take That, who is organising the concert, acknowledged it would be difficult to create a moment as memorable as May's rooftop solo. We need to come up with something newer and better. Maybe we'll fly someone in, Barlow told a news conference in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Elton John, who is among the line-up, will face the additional challenge of living up to his tear-jerking rendition of Candle in the Wind at the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997 -- one of the defining moments of his long career.

It's going to be fun, he said in a video to present the concert, shown at the news conference. Paul McCartney, Tom Jones and Annie Lennox are also among the veteran rock and pop stars who will take to the stage, while English tenor Alfie Boe and Chinese pianist Lang Lang will bring a classical touch. Bassey, whose career in Britain took off in the 1950s and who later found international fame by singing James Bond film theme songs, will represent the older generation along with Cliff Richard, whose enduring appeal to a fanatical female fan base has kept him on the British A-list for over five decades. Among the younger acts will be Jessie J, who scored her second UK number one hit with the song Domino last month, and the boy band JLS, who rose to fame by competing in the popular television show The X Factor. PICNIC AT THE PALACE The Queen has seen the musical line-up and she is entirely content and happy, said a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman. Barlow hinted at where the 85-year-old monarch's preferences might lie in his response to a question about whether she would attend the 2-1/2 hour concert from start to finish.

She chooses when she comes and goes so she'll probably be heading out when I start to sing and heading back when Cliff starts to sing, he said. Barlow also said that the queen's grandsons Princes William and Harry had both put in some requests for particular artists, but he did not say who they were. The concert will take place on June 4, on an unusual circular stage built around the huge memorial to Queen Victoria that stands in front of the Buckingham Palace gates. Victoria, who was queen from 1837 to 1901, is the only monarch in British history to have reigned for longer than Queen Elizabeth. The circular stage is the work of Mark Fisher, who has previously designed sets for rock bands of the calibre of Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones. A lucky 10,000 guests from across the United Kingdom, chosen at random through an online and postal ballot, will receive free tickets for the concert which they will enjoy from a circular arena built around the stage. Applications for tickets can be made through the website from Tuesday until March 2. Before the concert, ticket-holders will be invited to a jubilee picnic in the garden of Buckingham Palace.

60 Facts about The Diamond Jubilee celebrations in the UK | The Royal Family 60 Facts about The Diamond Jubilee celebrations in the UK The Royal Household © Crown Copyright Published 25 September 2012 ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN In advance of a reception for organisers and supporters of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, 60 Facts about The Diamond Jubilee celebrations in the UK have been issued by the Press Secretary to The Queen. Introduction On 6th February 2012, The Queen became only the second British Monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee. Since then, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have travelled throughout the United Kingdom and have met people of all ages, religions and backgrounds, travelled on myriad methods of transport, attended a variety of engagements and hosted numerous garden parties. The 60 facts listed below demonstrate the intensity and breadth of the Jubilee programme, the focal point of which was the Jubilee Weekend in June. 1. More than 35,000 entries were received by Blue Peter in the national competition to design the official Diamond Jubilee emblem.

The competition, open to children aged between 6 and 14, was won by 10-year-old Katherine Dewar, from Chester. 2. Three specially commissioned official Diamond Jubilee photographs of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh by John Swannell were released in February. The photographs were taken in the Centre Room in Buckingham Palace in December 2011. 3. The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust was announced in October 2011. It was established to celebrate The Queen’s 60 year contribution to the Commonwealth and a life of public service, aiming to make a real and enduring impact on the lives of those who live within the Commonwealth. Its Board is chaired by former British Prime Minister Sir John Major. 4. In January 2010, it was announced that The Queen had agreed to confer the honour of Royal Borough status on Greenwich to mark the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, in recognition of the very close links between Greenwich and the Monarchy as well as Greenwich’s global significance. 5. As a result of the Civic Honours competition for the Jubilee, Chelmsford, Perth and St.

Asaph were awarded the right to call themselves a city, while Armagh was awarded a Lord Mayoralty. In the Civic Honours Competition, 25 towns applied for City Status and 12 cities applied for a Lord Mayoralty. 6. More than 440,000 official Diamond Jubilee medals were manufactured and awarded to those in the Armed Forces, emergency services and prison service personnel among others. 7. A total of 112 outstanding UK organisations were honoured as recipients of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2012 in June. Also in February, a new, one-off award, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award 2012 ( ), was announced. This special category seeks to recognise the achievements of charities and voluntary groups that work at a national level, as opposed to the existing Queen’s Award which is aimed at those groups operating at a local or community level. 8. On the first day of the Jubilee weekend, on 2nd June, Camelot ridden by Joseph O’ Brien won the Epsom Derby in the presence of The Queen. 9. Many people in communities all over the UK held Big Jubilee Lunches ( ).

Councils received almost 9,500 road closure applications for Diamond Jubilee street parties and an estimated 8.5 million people in the UK took part in Big Jubilee Lunches. The largest recorded Big Jubilee Lunch took place in Greenwich, south east London, hosting up to 10,000 people. 10. As Patron of the Big Jubilee Lunch, The Duchess of Cornwall attended a special Big Lunch in Piccadilly on 3rd June, along with The Prince of Wales. 11. Community Big Jubilee Lunches in south west London on 3rd June were visited by HRH Duke of York and TRHs Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. 12. More than 50 of the UK’s largest community groups, membership organisations and charities supported the Big Jubilee Lunch, including the Scout Association, Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, Neighbourhood Watch and Age UK. 13. People in more than 70 countries took part in Big Jubilee Lunches to celebrate The Queen’s 60-year reign, including in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Nepal and Tuvalu and even in the Arctic Circle. 14.

The Thames Pageant consisted of 1,000 boats assembled from across the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world. The main pageant journey was from Chelsea to Tower Bridge, amounting to approximately 7 miles (with the longer flotilla journey including mustering, dispersal and the Avenue of Sail from Hammersmith to Greenwich). The organisers described it as the largest such celebration on the Thames since the reign of Charles II, 350 years ago. 15. In the Pageant, The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry travelled on the Royal Barge (the Spirit of Chartwell), which was decorated with 10,000 flowers. 16. An estimated 90,000 people attended the Diamond Jubilee Festival in Battersea Park and watched the Thames Pageant from there. Crowds in central London were estimated to number 1.2 million people. 17. Eight Royal Jubilee Bells, named after senior members of the Royal Family, travelled on the floating belfry, which preceded the flotilla. They were cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London.

18. The Pageant was led by the Royal Rowbarge Gloriana, which had been presented to and named by Her Majesty The Queen in a visit to Greenwich in April 2012. Gloriana was later used to transport the Olympic Flame along the Thames on the final day of its journey to light the Olympic Cauldron. 19. 10,000 members of the public were selected by a national ballot to attend the Diamond Jubilee Concert on 4th June, preceded by a Picnic in the Buckingham Palace Garden. Each guest was given a Jubilee Picnic Hamper, consisting of British products selected by Heston Blumenthal and Royal Chef Mark Flanagan. 20. The unique concert stage was built around the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. 21.

Artists who performed at the Concert included (in order of appearance) Robbie Williams, will.i.am, Jessie J, JLS, Gary Barlow, Cheryl Cole, Sir Cliff Richard, Lang Lang, Alfie Boe, Jools Holland, Ruby Turner, Grace Jones, Ed Sheeran, Annie Lennox, Rolf Harris, Renée Fleming, Sir Tom Jones, Dame Shirley Bassey, Kylie Minogue, Alfie Boe, Renée Fleming, Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Madness and Sir Paul McCartney. 22. “Sing”, the Official Diamond Jubilee song co-written by Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the Diamond Jubilee album from which it was taken, reached number one in the single and album charts respectively. The single featured in the Jubilee Concert, with Gareth Malone and the Military Wives Choir leading the Commonwealth Band in a rendition. The 210 musicians in the Commonwealth Band is one of the highest number of musicians to record a UK single. 23. The Diamond Jubilee Concert was broadcast live on BBC One, and attracted a peak audience of 17 million in the UK.

It was also available to listeners to BBC Radio 2 in the UK and enjoyed by millions around the world on TV. 24. The National Beacon on The Mall was lit by The Queen using the Jubilee Crystal Diamond at the end of the Diamond Jubilee Concert on Monday 4th June. 25. A network of over 4,200 beacons was lit by communities and individuals throughout the United Kingdom, as well as the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, overseas Territories and the Commonwealth. 26. For the first time in history, beacons were lit on top of the four highest mountains in the United Kingdom. These were Scaffel Pike, England (by Cancer Research UK); Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland (by Fields of Life); Ben Nevis, Scotland (by Help for Heroes) and Mount Snowdon, Wales (by Walking with the Wounded). 27. Venues for beacon lighting included Royal Palaces such as the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Tower of London, as well as the private Royal estates of Sandringham and Balmoral. 28.

Beacons were lit in many Commonwealth countries, including at significant locations such as Parliament House in Canberra, Australia and at the Treetops hotel in Kenya, where the then Princess Elizabeth heard that her father, King George VI, had died in 1952. 29. Members of The Royal Family, politicians, diplomats, Commonwealth representatives and Lord-Lieutenants were amongst the 2,300 guests at a National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral on 5th June to mark the Jubilee. 30. The Service was conducted by the Dean of St. Paul’s, The Very Reverend Dr David Ison, and the Archbishop of Canterbury gave the sermon. The Diamond Choir was made up of children selected from around the country. A special prayer for the Diamond Jubilee was included in the service (the Diamond Jubilee Prayer was written at The Queen's direction by the Chapter of St.Paul's Cathedral for the Diamond Jubilee). 31. The Diamond Jubilee Lunch at Westminster Hall on 5th June, was attended by 700 guests from all over the country representing a cross-section of trades, crafts and professions. 32.

There was a Carriage Procession on 5th June from Westminster Hall, the Palace of Westminster, to Buckingham Palace. The Queen travelled in the 1902 State Landau. During the Carriage Procession, the King’s Troop fired a 60 gun salute. 33. When The Queen appeared on the Palace balcony on 5th June, there was an RAF Flypast and a Feu de Joie (“Fire of Joy” – a celebratory cascade of rifle fire given as a salute by The Queen’s Guard) from the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace. 34. The Queen attended a Multi-faith reception at Lambeth Palace on 15th February, where she met Christian representatives, as well as representatives of the eight non-Christian religions - the Baha'i, the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities. 35. The Queen’s Joint Address to Parliament on 20th March also saw the unveiling of a stained glass window in Westminster Hall as a gift to The Queen from Members of both Houses on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. 36.

The sovereigns of 26 countries came to Windsor Castle on 18th May for a special luncheon to mark The Queen’s Jubilee. 37. The Diamond Jubilee Pageant at Windsor Castle in May 2012 celebrated the Commonwealth and State visits The Queen has made during Her Reign. The 90 minute theatrical show featured 550 horses and 1,100 performers, and was broadcast on ITV over the Jubilee Weekend. 38. On 19th May, the Jubilee Parade and Muster saw nearly 2,500 troops from the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force parade through Windsor Castle and town down to the Horse Showground for a Drumhead Service before Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh. 39. In her Diamond Jubilee year, The Queen opened the London 2012 Olympic Games on 27th July and the London 2012 Paralympic Games on 29th August. 40. More than 60,000 invitations have been issued by Buckingham Palace this year to three Garden Parties, four Services of Thanksgiving and other Jubilee-related events. 41.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh’s regional tour of the United Kingdom began in Leicester on 8th March and finished on 25th July, with visits to Cowes, Isle of Wight and New Forest, Hampshire. 42. The regional tour featured widespread travel across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Car, the Royal Train, aircraft and the ship Leander were used as modes of transport. 43. The Queen visited 10 different regions in the UK, on her tour, which spanned 25 days and encompassed 83 public engagements. 44. Services of Thanksgiving took place at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, St. Macartin's Cathedral in Enniskillen and Glasgow Cathedral (as well as at St. Paul’s Cathedral on 5th June). 45. Members of the Royal Family are visiting every Commonwealth Realm, representing The Queen throughout the Diamond Jubilee year. The visits began with The Earl and Countess of Wessex travelling to the Caribbean in February 2012. 46. The Choirbook for The Queen, a collection of 44 contemporary choral anthems by living British composers, was published to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.

It included 11 anthems commissioned especially for the Choirbook. The project’s Patron was The Prince of Wales. 47. 208 schools across the UK entered a competition to “Cook for The Queen”, creating a special menu featuring recipes showcasing the best of British to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. The menus of the four winning schools were served to The Queen and The Duchess of Cornwall at a reception at Buckingham Palace in June. 48. Face Britain consisted of 200,000 self-portraits from children aged 4-16 years throughout the UK. All portraits were combined to create a montage portrait of The Queen, projected onto the front of Buckingham Palace in April 2012. The project was officially confirmed by Guinness World Records as holding the title for “Most artists working on the same art installation.” 49. The Jubilee Greenway, launched by The Queen in February, is a walking and cycling route in London exactly 60 kilometres long - one kilometre for each year of Her Majesty's reign. It links many of London’s Olympic Games venues. 50.

As a result of the Jubilee People’s Millions, 60 grants of up to £60,000 from the Big Lottery Fund were rolled out to projects all over the UK aiming to improve local communities. 51. By July 2012, the Jubilee Woods Project (run by The Woodland Trust) had planted more than 3 million trees to mark the Diamond Jubilee. In total the project aims to plant 6 million trees. 52. More than 1,450 spaces have thus far been safeguarded as Queen Elizabeth II Fields, as part of an effort to protect outdoor recreational spaces throughout the country in honour of the Diamond Jubilee. The project, run by Fields in Trust, is supported by The Duke of Cambridge, who is the Patron of the campaign. 53. As part of the Jubilee Time Capsule run by the Royal Commonwealth Society, people contributed more than 80,000 items about their family, community, country or the Commonwealth for different days of The Queen’s reign ( ). 1,000 students who took part in the Capsule joined The Queen in attending the Commonwealth Day Observance Service at Westminster Abbey on 12th March. 54.

Pinning The Queen’s History (run by Historypin working with Google) is a global interactive archive project to mark the Diamond Jubilee, focusing on The Queen’s visits over 60 years as well as Jubilee celebrations. The Duke of Cambridge contributed a memory about his grandmother, The Queen, attending his graduation from Sandhurst in 2006. Contributions are still being accepted ( ) 55. All 141 volumes of Queen Victoria’s Journals were made available online, as a partnership between the Royal Archives, Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University and the online publisher, ProQuest. In addition, a new website on Queen Victoria, “Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Scrapbook”, was launched by Buckingham Palace in April, drawing on material from the Royal Archives. 56. Major Jubilee exhibitions included “Royal River: Power, Pageantry and the Thames” (the National Maritime Museum), “The Queen: Art and Image” (the National Portrait Gallery) and “Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton - A Diamond Jubilee celebration” (Victoria and Albert Museum). 57.

The Royal Collection organised a series of exhibitions including “Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration” for the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace (featuring an unprecedented display of a number of The Queen’s personal jewels), “Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomist” at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace (featuring the largest ever exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s studies of the human body) and “The Queen: 60 Photographs for 60 Years” at Windsor Castle (featuring 60 photographs of The Queen, many by leading press photographers of the past six decades). 58. The Queen has received more than 178,000 letters and messages of goodwill so far during the course of the Diamond Jubilee year. This included more than 100,000 “Jubilee” letters, and 78,000 electronic messages of congratulations through the official Diamond Jubilee website ( ). 59. The events of the Jubilee weekend were followed by huge numbers of people both in the UK and overseas through regular updates on the British Monarchy website and the official Diamond Jubilee website. In total, the websites attracted over 2 million unique visitors and 7.6 million page views. 60.

The social media channels of the British Monarchy also proved popular during the Jubilee weekend. Over the four day weekend, (2nd to 5th June), the total views on the Monarchy Flickr account were more than 1.4 million, while the Royal Channel on YouTube was viewed on 475,000 occasions and the Monarchy Facebook page had over 1.8 million unique views. Share this article: Queen is not amused by Gary Barlow - Telegraph The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Queen is not amused by Gary Barlow Gary Barlow's plans for a Diamond Jubilee pop concert have not met with the approval of Brian May of Queen. Brian May performing the National Anthem on the roof of Buckingham Palace at the “Party at the Palace” pop concert Photo: PA By Tim Walker 7:00AM GMT 21 Feb 2012 One of the enduring images of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee was Brian May performing the National Anthem on the roof of Buckingham Palace at the “Party at the Palace” pop concert.

But Gary Barlow, the Take That singer who is organising the concert for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, has not chosen to avail himself of May’s services, and, has, perhaps, rubbed salt into the wound by saying that only “world-class artists” would be performing. “No, we haven’t been asked at all which is a shame — maybe next time we will, perhaps the one after diamond, whatever that is,” May, 64, tells me at the Whatsonstage.com awards concert at the Prince of Wales Theatre. “I don’t how they’re going to top the Golden Jubilee event we were involved with, but that’s Gary Barlow’s problem. They’ll have to drop him from a helicopter or something.” The boyband JLS and the singer Jessie J have already been assured of spots at the event in June.

Related Articles BBC Diamond Jubilee Concert: Queen’s Jubilee Concert to be a Great Treat BBC Diamond Jubilee Concert: Queen’s Jubilee Concert to be a Great Treat June 3, 2012 13:41 BST Queen Elizabeth II The Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations have undoubtedly been one of the highlights of the year so far, with special events and activities being held across the country, in the build-up to this diamond jubilee weekend. One of those special events is a concert that has been organised by the BBC and Gary Barlow. The star-studded performance brings together some of the world's biggest musicians from the worlds of rock, pop, classical music, dance and musical theatre. The line-up of performers includes former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Sir Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Shirley Bassey, Annie Lennox, Jessie J, JLS, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Alfie Boe. Approximately 20,000 people are expected to attend this live music event, which boasts stars from every one of the six decades of the Queen's reign.

The Royal family is expected to be in attendance and the concert itself will be staged in the surroundings of the Queen Victoria Memorial, in front of Buckingham Palace. "This is without a doubt the most ambitious single concert event the BBC has ever staged," Ben Weston, executive editor of the Queen's diamond jubilee coverage for the BBC was quoted as saying by the Express, "It is three royal weddings back-to-back in different locations with one of them on a river." The stage will be set up by rock architect Mark Fisher and, reportedly, has been designed for an extravagant lighting and digital display. "We have done a high-tech laser mapping of the whole of the facade of the Palace," Weston said, adding, "All the contours of the front of the Palace have been digitally mapped and we are going to do some pretty imaginative things with the technology to fully exploit this amazing backdrop which is the perfect projection screen. We have got 30 projectors of the highest power so it should be a thing of beauty." Meanwhile, Barlow, who has actually spent the last two years organising this once-in-a-lifetime event, said the diamond jubilee concert would be an "incredible" experience.

"The stage is up now [at Buckingham Palace], the seating is up, it is massive," Barlow told BBC, adding, "From today you will hear music coming from the stage because most of the acts are rehearsing." The BBC diamond jubilee concert is scheduled to start on Monday, 4 June at 7.30 pm and will be broadcast live on BBC1 and Radio 2. Share Stay up to date with our daily newsletter YOU MIGHT LIKE THISSponsored Content by Taboola IBT Video

Question: Which band member is organising this year's Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace?
Answer: GARY BARLOW