The 96-year-old monarch has curtailed her schedule in recent months due to problems moving around, which the palace describes as “periodic mobility issues."
The pageant began with a spectacular military parade featuring 200 horses marching down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. They flanked the gold state coach, a gilded carriage that transported the queen to her coronation 69 years ago. A virtual version of her, drawn from archival video from her 1953 coronation, was shown at the coach’s windows.
Watch the video here
The same Gold State Coach had taken Queen Elizabeth II to and from her coronation in the year 1953.
The Queen appeared at the balcony of Buckingham Palace, delighting fans who had hoped to catch a glimpse of her during the final day of festivities marking the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.
She other members of the royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace as they waved to supporters following the Queen’s Birthday Parade.
On Sunday, a colorful street pageant celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's life and highlighting Britain's diversity paraded through central London on Sunday, the final day of a holiday weekend honoring the monarch's 70 years on the throne. Thousands of people turned out on the streets of London, many speaking with excitement and pride about their queen and country.
After the pomp and pageantry came a melange of acts celebrating the diversity of modern Britain and the Commonwealth, from hip hop and Bollywood dancers to drag queens and Mardi Gras style floats. Some 6,000 performers paraded along a three-kilometer (nearly two-mile) route lined with a sea of Union flags, telling the story of the queen's life with dance, vintage cars, vibrant costumes, carnival music and giant puppets.
Some of Britain's best-loved cultural exports were here, from the Daleks in “Doctor Who" to James Bond's Aston Martins. Celebrities including singer Cliff Richard danced and sang from open-top double decker buses meant to represent the sights and sounds of each decade from the 1950s.
(With inputs from agencies)
