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| Queen's diamond jubilee state procession and thanksgiving – live | Queen's diamond jubilee state procession and thanksgiving – live |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 12.05pm: And while we're in catch-up mode, here's another chance to enjoy the highlights of last night's concert at Buckingham Palace in case you missed it. | |
| Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Madness were among the artists who performed. | |
| 12.02pm: This is Sam Jones, taking over from Lexy, who's off for a well-earned lunch break. It's as good a time as any now to take a look back and see how the country has changed since the silver jubilee in 1977. My colleague James Ball has been pondering things over at Comment is Free: | |
| In among the pomp and pageantry of the diamond jubilee weekend, there have been spots of reflection on how the country has changed under the Queen's 60-year reign: are we a more prosperous society? A divided one? Are we happier now? | |
| 11.51am: Peter Walker, who is in among the crowds at Buckingham Palalce, has been dashing through the corridors of power. Mostly because he is lost, it would appear. | |
| It's fair to say this isn't the most smoothly organised event. After several contradictory directions from police and stewards en route to the press seats I was sent up a long flight of stairs to a tented gantry. I was about to march in when I spotted it was the Sky news outside broadcast studio, and someone seemed to be talking into the camera. Lucky escape. | |
| After almost being sent to the royal box from last night's concert -the red carpet told me I was on the wrong track — I've ended up in the lofty BBC radio compound. They have taken pity on me and allowed me to remain, so long as I suppress any Guardian-type republican sentiments. | |
| As is so common with these type of events I'm now reporting from a public occasion while utterly isolated from said public. I could always drop a paper plane to the seats below carrying my email address and ask them to send in a few quotes." | |
| 11.45am: Channel 4 has done a good backgrounder on "Who Pays for the Diamond Jubilee?" | |
| It will be a giant undertaking, but it won't cost the public a penny. All of the £10.5m budget has been raised from individual donations and corporate sponsorships, and a "substantial" surplus has been raised. It will be given to charity via the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust." | |
| But it's not quite as simple as that, of course. | |
| But the public purse is not entirely spared the cost of the event. The Greater London Authority has budgeted £2m for outside screens, road closures, signage and similar expenses. It will pick up £100,000 and pass the rest of the bill to the Department for Media, Culture and Sport. Some of the costs will be offset by revenues from commercial sponsorship. | |
| The royal household has been given an extra £1m to cover the cost of administration and increased correspondence in the jubilee year. That comes from taxpayers via the sovereign Grant - and it's more than double the contribution made for the golden jubilee in 2002 (£450,000). | |
| On top of those costs, the Metropolitan police will put over 6,000 officers on duty on the busiest days; 21 police boats will patrol the river. All these costs will be met from the public purse." | |
| 11.44am: Spontaneous outburts of God Save the Queen as she enters Mansion House. Will, Harry, Charlie, Camilla and Kate now making their way to the canapes too. | |
| 11.41am: So that's that. The Queen is now on her way to Mansion House for a brief reception with the City of London Corporation before she goes to a formal lunch at Westminster Hall. | |
| 11.38am: Or here are the highlights as tweeted by Caroline Davies: | |
| Williams; But "dedicated" in classical and biblical language means "being completely available to God". #Jubilee | |
| — caroline davies (@ccdavies) June 5, 2012 | |
| Williams: Queen shown "quality of joy in happiness of others". She had made her "public" happy, says archbishop. #Jubilee | |
| — caroline davies (@ccdavies) June 5, 2012 | |
| Williams says same can "manifestly be said of Prince Philip & thoughts & prayers are with him this morning ". #Jubilee | |
| — caroline davies (@ccdavies) June 5, 2012 | |
| Williams: "We give thanks today for Her Majesty's 60 yrs of utterly demanding yet deeply joyful service. #Jubilee | |
| — caroline davies (@ccdavies) June 5, 2012 | |
| 11.33am: For those who missed it first time around - do not fear! The BBC has the archbishop of Canterbury's homage to the Queen here. | |
| 11.32am: The thanksgiving service at St Paul's has come to a close and the procession bows in respect before the Queen, who will be accompanied by the Prince of Wales today instead of Prince Philip, who remains in hospital. | |
| 11.31am: We have some more information about the Queen's diamond jubilee message which will be broadcast later this evening. | |
| The queen's press secretary has issed the following statement: | |
| The Queen will make a special broadcast of thanks following this weekend's diamond jubilee celebrations. | |
| The message was recorded in the presence room in Buckingham Palace yesterday evening, prior to the jubilee concert. It has been produced by ITN. | |
| The broadcast, lasting just over two minutes, will be transmitted on television and radio at 6pm today in the UK and across the Commonwealth. It will also be available on the Royal Channel on YouTube. | |
| 11.27am: Rousing rendition of God Save the Queen - bit of a predictable set list so far really. | 11.27am: Rousing rendition of God Save the Queen - bit of a predictable set list so far really. |
| 11.06am: Oh dear, poor girl from the St John's ambulance lost her spot. Got it back though, that's the spirit. | 11.06am: Oh dear, poor girl from the St John's ambulance lost her spot. Got it back though, that's the spirit. |
| 11.02am:The archbishop pays homage to the Queen's "utterly demanding, but deeply joyful service" over the past 60 years. | 11.02am:The archbishop pays homage to the Queen's "utterly demanding, but deeply joyful service" over the past 60 years. |
| 10.59am: The archbishop reflects on the Queen's dedication to her role over 60 years. | 10.59am: The archbishop reflects on the Queen's dedication to her role over 60 years. |
"Six decades of living proof that public service is possible and it is a place where happiness can be found." | "Six decades of living proof that public service is possible and it is a place where happiness can be found." |
| 10.53am: The archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, reminds us of the "simple statement of committment" that the Queen made to her subjects following the death of her father. "She dedicated herself to them," he said. | 10.53am: The archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, reminds us of the "simple statement of committment" that the Queen made to her subjects following the death of her father. "She dedicated herself to them," he said. |
| Yet to source the designer for his outfit, but bear with me. | Yet to source the designer for his outfit, but bear with me. |
| 10.49am: The prime minister, David Cameron, reads the New Testament lesson. St Paul's really does look spectacular. | |
| 10.46am: My colleague Caroline Davies is in St Paul's Cathedral and has some details on what the Queen is wearing | |
| Queen is in mint green Angela Kelly with chiffon drape decorated with Swarovski crystals #Jubilee | Queen is in mint green Angela Kelly with chiffon drape decorated with Swarovski crystals #Jubilee |
| — caroline davies (@ccdavies) June 5, 2012 | — caroline davies (@ccdavies) June 5, 2012 |
| While Kate is once again rocking an excellent Alexander McQueen dress. | While Kate is once again rocking an excellent Alexander McQueen dress. |
| For anyone interested Duchess of Cambridge in Alexander McQueen (again) with. Jane Taylor hat #Jubilee | For anyone interested Duchess of Cambridge in Alexander McQueen (again) with. Jane Taylor hat #Jubilee |
| — caroline davies (@ccdavies) June 5, 2012 | — caroline davies (@ccdavies) June 5, 2012 |
| 10.41am: Twittersphere preoccupied with Samantha Cameron's choice of headgear. Avid SamCam watchers among us will remember that the PM's wife did not wear a hat to the royal wedding, a decision she has reversed today, wearing a dark hat with a black and grey lace detail frock. | 10.41am: Twittersphere preoccupied with Samantha Cameron's choice of headgear. Avid SamCam watchers among us will remember that the PM's wife did not wear a hat to the royal wedding, a decision she has reversed today, wearing a dark hat with a black and grey lace detail frock. |
| Here's some observations on the get-up | Here's some observations on the get-up |
| Samantha Cameron has a pillow on her head. | Samantha Cameron has a pillow on her head. |
| — Liza Radley (@WeirdSid) June 5, 2012 | — Liza Radley (@WeirdSid) June 5, 2012 |
| why is Samantha Cameron wearing black ... it's a happy event not a funeral #diamondjubilee | why is Samantha Cameron wearing black ... it's a happy event not a funeral #diamondjubilee |
| — MeMyselfandUs (@Boof_Ed) June 5, 2012 | — MeMyselfandUs (@Boof_Ed) June 5, 2012 |
| Samantha Cameron really does look like a dinnerlady with that hat on. #bbcjubilee | Samantha Cameron really does look like a dinnerlady with that hat on. #bbcjubilee |
| — ♡ carmen grey ♡ (@earc0nd0m) June 5, 2012 | — ♡ carmen grey ♡ (@earc0nd0m) June 5, 2012 |
| Ok, enough of that. Back to the service. | Ok, enough of that. Back to the service. |
| 10.38am: St Paul's Cathedral has just tweeted - I didn't know such vast structures had opposible thumbs, but there you go - telling us who is entering the cathedral. | 10.38am: St Paul's Cathedral has just tweeted - I didn't know such vast structures had opposible thumbs, but there you go - telling us who is entering the cathedral. |
| Prince Charles. The Duchess of Cornwall. Prince Harry. The Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cambridge enter St Paul'sCathedral | Prince Charles. The Duchess of Cornwall. Prince Harry. The Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cambridge enter St Paul'sCathedral |
| — St Paul's Cathedral (@StPaulsLondon) June 5, 2012 | — St Paul's Cathedral (@StPaulsLondon) June 5, 2012 |
| 10.35am: Peter has just seen the Queen! The real Queen! Making her way to St Paul's for the service of thanksgiving. | 10.35am: Peter has just seen the Queen! The real Queen! Making her way to St Paul's for the service of thanksgiving. |
| We just had the briefest glimpse of the Queen's motorcade as it swept out of the palace with little warning. | We just had the briefest glimpse of the Queen's motorcade as it swept out of the palace with little warning. |
| There were some muted cheers but they were completely drowned out by the sound of bells played at ear-splitting volume over the PA system still in place from last night's concert. | There were some muted cheers but they were completely drowned out by the sound of bells played at ear-splitting volume over the PA system still in place from last night's concert. |
| Nonetheless, OK!-branded flags were waved dutifully before people turned back to the giant TV screens. No sign of the "Long live the Queen!" chants we can hear on the TV feed being copied here. The main event for us comes when she returns later. | Nonetheless, OK!-branded flags were waved dutifully before people turned back to the giant TV screens. No sign of the "Long live the Queen!" chants we can hear on the TV feed being copied here. The main event for us comes when she returns later. |
| 10.29am: I know that you really don't want to miss a second of today's action - so we have our roving reporter Peter Walker outside Buckingham Palace, soaking up the atmosphere. He's sent this: | 10.29am: I know that you really don't want to miss a second of today's action - so we have our roving reporter Peter Walker outside Buckingham Palace, soaking up the atmosphere. He's sent this: |
| I've spent a while mingling with the arriving throngs outside Buckingham Palace, from where the royal procession is due to leave soon-ish. Everyone seems very cheery, not least because, for once this Jubilee weekend, it's relatively mild and almost sunny. The fact everyone has pre-allocated seats or standing positions certainly lessens the sense of near panic you could feel as people crushed to see the river pageant on Sunday. Some lucky spectators are sitting on rugs on a patch if grass just to the left of the main gates. Among them were Junaid Tamimu and his wife, Alina, who despite originally being from Ghana and Poland respectively were as excited as anyone. | I've spent a while mingling with the arriving throngs outside Buckingham Palace, from where the royal procession is due to leave soon-ish. Everyone seems very cheery, not least because, for once this Jubilee weekend, it's relatively mild and almost sunny. The fact everyone has pre-allocated seats or standing positions certainly lessens the sense of near panic you could feel as people crushed to see the river pageant on Sunday. Some lucky spectators are sitting on rugs on a patch if grass just to the left of the main gates. Among them were Junaid Tamimu and his wife, Alina, who despite originally being from Ghana and Poland respectively were as excited as anyone. |
| "We didn't have to get up till 6 but I couldn't sleep, I was awake at 5, said Alina. "What I'm looking forwards to most is seeing the Queen, and the golden carriage — even though we've already seen it at the palace museum." The monarch, Junaid said, is "a unifying force, not just for the UK but internationally, especially in the Commonwealth". | "We didn't have to get up till 6 but I couldn't sleep, I was awake at 5, said Alina. "What I'm looking forwards to most is seeing the Queen, and the golden carriage — even though we've already seen it at the palace museum." The monarch, Junaid said, is "a unifying force, not just for the UK but internationally, especially in the Commonwealth". |
| The couple had just one regret: those under 13 cannot attend, meaning their children, aged 12, 10 and eight, are being looked after at home in Peckham, south London. | The couple had just one regret: those under 13 cannot attend, meaning their children, aged 12, 10 and eight, are being looked after at home in Peckham, south London. |
| "I've just talked to then on the phone," Alina said. They're very jealous." | "I've just talked to then on the phone," Alina said. They're very jealous." |
| Hello royalists and republicans alike and welcome to the Guardian's diamond jubilee live blog. We'll be following the main event of the final day of celebrations, including a royal carriage procession, a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral and – weather permitting – a flypast by the RAF. Tally ho! | Hello royalists and republicans alike and welcome to the Guardian's diamond jubilee live blog. We'll be following the main event of the final day of celebrations, including a royal carriage procession, a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral and – weather permitting – a flypast by the RAF. Tally ho! |