Original art at the Trafalgar Hotel
Last week marked one of the most important events in the recent UK Royal History: her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee after 60 years on the throne (not literally, of course).
And apparently, the British took this anniversary quite seriously.
London was all kinds of decked out for the occasion. Union Jacks hung everywhere they could possibly hang, anything that could sport a flag did, and even though some people probably thought it was tacky… I totally loved it.
Harrod’s
The designer crownds at Harrod’s
Royal cupcakes at Harrod’s. YUM.
Harrod’s was definitely one of my favorite places to admire the celebrations of the Queen’s Jubilee. The food halls were covered in Union Jacks and special editions products (and potentially astronomical profits), but the coolest part is actually outside. Each window featured a crown exclusively created for the event by fancy designers like Lanvin and Ferragamo. You should definitely check it out for yourself if you’re in the area, it is really quite lovely!
The Mall was absolutely fabulous. Every lamp post had a flag, as did the famous Admiralty Arch, leading the way to the slightly overcrowded but festive Buckingham Palace. I’m sure if I had listened more closely I would’ve heard the national anthem blasting from afar…
The Mall
It seemed like the London pubs were in a sudden ‘I love the Queen’ mood. Some of them upgraded their decor with dozens of Union Jacks, others created a special menu for the Jubilee, but pretty much all of them were in celebratory mode. And some even organized karaoke…
Karaoke in Soho
I do love me a little bit of royalty. And while my opinions on monarchy as a Canadian subject isn’t what this blog is about, I genuinely enjoyed the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations all over London. I drank insanely high amounts of Pimm’s in the streets of Soho to the sound of the best British pop hits of the last decades, a Union Jack in hand.
Harvey Nichols
Covent Garden
Union Jack overload at Covent Garden
Tacky? Probably.
But God I had a good time. And I’m not ashamed to say it.
Have you watched or participated in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee? Did you travel solely for that purpose? What were your highlights?
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Such a great way to use this wonderful app! Love the result.
Love the Jubilee cupcakes.
They were so good!
Awesome shots, looks like you captured the mood perfectly :D
Thanks Laurence! It was such a wonderful weekend.
It must have been so much fun to be part of such a huge celebration – I would have loved to have been there! Those Jubilee cupcakes are amazing!!
They were!
I love all the festive decorating, the cupcakes look amazing.
I can attest that they were amazing indeed :)
Love the iReporter in you my friend! What a wonderful immersion into all the festivities that took place that day. I was glued to the TV watching the entire procession. Thx for the great post.
Your humble loyal subject….
Thanks Jeff! You’re a very good subject! ;)
Omg I need some of the cupcakes… right… now!
I can attest that they were really good :)
The photo’s are really cool! Looks like a amazing day at the jubilee day.
What a great set of photos! It’s kind of funny (and nice) to “see” the Queen so popular for a change.
True! I hear 2012 is a very good year for the UK in general.
Love the cupcakes!
They were delicious!
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