11:32
Guests arrive at St. Paul’s Cathedral
The first guests arrived this Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London for the Jubilee Mass, organized in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who is celebrating her 70th anniversary of reign.
Some 400 people are expected, all distinguished for their contribution to the life of the country, including teachers, health personnel, representatives of the armed forces or charities.
David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 2010 and 2016, and Tony Blair, Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007, are among the guests. Boris Johnson, current Prime Minister, is also present.
11:28
How will the religious ceremony take place?
Here is the program of the religious ceremony, which will take place at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
At 10:50 a.m. (11:50 a.m. in France), the Great Paul bell, the largest in the country, will be rung, which happens very rarely.
The ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. (11:50 a.m. in France). On the program: reading of the Bible, prayers and psalms to pay homage to Elizabeth II.
After the mass, Vincent Keaveny, the Lord Mayor of London, will host a reception for members of the royal family at 12:35 p.m. (1:35 p.m. in France) at the Guildhall, the former City Hall of London.
11:10
How 4-year-old Prince Louis stole the Queen’s show
Whether he’s showing his boredom, protecting his ears from the roar of planes or waving at the crowd with a grimace, Prince Louis, 4, melted the audience Thursday, during the jubilee of Elizabeth II.
Prince William’s third child – himself a grandson of Elizabeth II and second in line to the throne – caused a stir on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where the royals watched a flyover at the end of the Color Salute Parade.
Standing in a blue marinière (reminiscent of the one worn by her father in 1985) between the 96-year-old sovereign and her mother Kate, alongside her sister Charlotte, 7, and George, 8, Louis multiplied the mimicry.
He rested his elbows on the balustrade, looking bored, plugged his ears, mouth wide open, forcing a smile from his great-grandmother, very serious. His mother leaned over several times to whisper a few words in his ear.
10:57
What happened on Thursday during the first day of the festivities?
Tens of thousands of people cheered Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Thursday morning, on the first day of celebrations of her 70-year reign, an unprecedented longevity for the British monarchy.
It was the highly anticipated high point of the four-day platinum jubilee festivities for the ultra-popular 96-year-old sovereign, whose health is now fragile.
The Queen returned to the balcony shortly later in the day, for a Royal Air Force flyover, this time accompanied by 17 members of the Royal Family who have official duties and their children.
The Queen lit a 21-metre-high tree-shaped sculpture in front of Buckingham Palace from a distance from Windsor Castle in the evening.
10:36
Elizabeth II met Lilibet, daughter of Harry and Meghan
Queen Elizabeth II met her great-granddaughter Lilibet, named after her, on Friday, columnist Omid Scobie, co-author of the official biography, revealed on British TV. Finding Freedom.
It is the first time the Queen has met Harry and Meghan’s daughter, who celebrates her first birthday this Saturday. Harry and Meghan made a low-key public return on Thursday two years after their big break in California.
They are expected in a few hours at Saint Paul’s Cathedral for a mass in honor of the sovereign, where they will rub shoulders this time with family members with whom relations are very degraded.
10:13
Discover the lemon and amaretti trifle, the official Jubilee pudding
Jemma Melvin, a copywriter from Southport, won a competition last month to choose the official pudding that will accompany the celebration of 70 years of Queen’s reign.
She made a lemon and amaretti trifle, which is made with layers of lemon curd and custard, St Clement jelly, mandarin coulis and amaretti biscuits. The Guardian has just published a recipe to easily cook this appetizing dessert.
Jemma Melvin was inspired by Posset, a British lemon dessert served at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip in 1947, to imagine her recipe, which would join the ranks of royal-inspired dishes such as coronation chicken and the Victoria sponge.
9:42
Why Elizabeth II will not be present at her Jubilee Mass
Acclaimed by the crowd Thursday on the balcony of Buckingham, Queen Elizabeth II, in fragile health, will miss the religious service celebrated Friday for her 70 years of reign.
“The Queen very much enjoyed the parade for her birthday today (Thursday) and the flypast but she felt some discomfort,” Buckingham Palace said.
“Taking into consideration the route and activity required for the service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty has reluctantly concluded that she will not be attending,” he added.
This announcement rekindles concerns about the declining state of health of the ultra-popular 96-year-old sovereign, who has difficulty walking and whose official appearances have become increasingly rare since a night in the hospital in October.
9:33
Meghan and Harry’s first public appearance
After a discreet public return during the parade launching the jubilee of Elizabeth II, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will be the center of attention this Friday.
The couple is expected at Saint Paul’s Cathedral for a mass in honor of the sovereign, where they will rub shoulders this time with family members with whom relations are very degraded.
This is their first public appearance since the “Megxit”, which marked the couple’s divorce from the monarchy.
This trip to London is for the couple the opportunity to present to Elizabeth II the second daughter of Harry, Lilibet, named in honor of the queen. She will be one year old on Saturday, during the Jubilee weekend.
9:01
The program of the day
A mass of thanksgiving for the 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and on this occasion the bell of the Great Paul (Great Paul bell) will be rung, which occurs very rarely.
This bell dating from 1882 is the largest church bell in the country. Its mechanism broke in the 1970s but was repaired last year. It has only sounded eight times since.
8:51
The second day of the festivities begins
Hello everyone, welcome to this live on the second day of Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee festivities.
A day that promises to be significant. The mass at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, which is due to begin after noon (French time), is to mark the first public appearance of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan in the United Kingdom since their departure for California two years ago.
The British royal family will meet for this mass celebrating the 70th anniversary of the historic reign of Elizabeth II, but the 96-year-old sovereign will not participate, apparently tired by the first day of the festivities.