When you are the head of the established church, it is to be expected the first estate will ring out the big bells for your 90th, even if you are running late.
Heads of faith, the clergy elite, senior politicians, diplomats and military top brass joined an almost full complement of three generations of royals – 53 in total – for a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, to mark the Queen’s official birthday.
The auspiciousness of the occasion had been acknowledged by bell ringers performing the Stedman cinques – 12 ringers for the 12 bells, and one of the heaviest rings of bells in the world.
But, with the great and the good gathered underneath Christopher Wren’s world-famous domed roof, there was no sign of the party girl.
The Queen and Prince Philip were experiencing the everyday travails of many a Londoner, stuck in traffic somewhere near the Embankment.
Trumpet fanfares and cheers from a crowd outside eventually announced the couple’s arrival 15 minutes late.
Britain’s oldest and longest-serving monarch briefly touched a temporary handrail installed for the occasion on the 24 steps leading to the cathedral’s Great West doors. “Christopher Wren did not design the building with access needs in mind,” the cathedral acknowledged.
By coincidence, her husband celebrated his 95th birthday on Friday, and there was special mention of him at a service attended by past and present prime ministers – Sir John Major, Tony Blair and David Cameron.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and London’s newly elected mayor, Sadiq Khan, were also among the 2,000-strong congregations, which included the cabinet, governors general from around the world, the Queen’s staff as well as people chosen for their contribution to public life.
The Queen was in good company with two other famous nonagenarians playing key roles when naturalist Sir David Attenborough read aloud Reflection on the Passing of Years, penned by Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear and a personal evocation what it was like to be vintage 1926.
Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, drew on psalm 139 for inspiration for his sermon on God’s hand in creating a monarch who was “fearfully and wonderfully” made. “Your Majesty. Today we rejoice for the way in which God’s loving care has fearfully and wonderfully sustained you – as well as Prince Philip marking his 95th birthday today.
“And we rejoice, your Majesty, for the way in which the life God has given you in turn you have given wonderfully in service to this nation. You have been an instrument of God’s peace, and through you God has so often turned fear into wonder – and joy.”
David Cameron, read from Luke 12 22-31.
Little touches through the service marked her life. The hymn, Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us was set to a German tune, and aimed to remind of the Queen’s ancestry. There was special symbolism in the prayers, which were led by people representing different aspects of the Queen’s life.
Among them were the TV presenter Clare Balding, whose family have trained the royal horses, and Hilda Price, the widow of an Anglican priest and a leading light in the Mothers’ Union, and who was born on the same day as the Queen. Price said it was “the shock of my life” when told she had been picked.
Among the birthday gifts was an anthem specially composed by Judith Weir, master of the Queen’s music.
After the service the Queen and Prince Philip and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall hosted a lunch for visiting governors general at Buckingham Palace, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry and other royals attended a reception at the Guildhall in the City of London for 1,800 members of the congregation.
London’s other mayor – the lord mayor, Jeffrey Mountevans, who had preceded the Queen in the cathedral bearing aloft the traditional Pearl Sword gifted by Elizabeth I to the City – paid tribute to the Queen’s “unfailing service”.
“It is certainly with gentleness, good humour and understanding that, against the shifting sands of societal change, Her Majesty so wonderfully exemplifies the advantages of a constitutional monarchy,” he told Guildhall guests.
“It represents continuity in an uncertain world. Continuity of compassion for our communities and continuity of belief in Great Britain.
Later, two of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, Lady Hussey and Mary Morrison, who between them have served the monarch for 110 years, were confident the service would have met with her approval.
“I thought it was beautiful, exactly what the Queen would have wanted. Obviously she had a large input into the proceedings,” said Hussey. Morrison added: “As the Queen was arriving such a tremendous cheer went up that it really caused a lump in one’s throat.”
The service marked the start of a weekend of events staged for the official birthday of the Queen, who was 90 on 21 April. On Saturday she will attend trooping the colour; on Sunday 10,000 guests from her charities and organisations will attend a street party in the Mall, with other special events planned around the UK.
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