The Diamond Jubilee celebration of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has been rounded off with a church service conducted by the Arc-Bishop of Canterbury.
Undoubtedly, the 4-day celebration would not be forgotten in a hurry, for a very, very long time.
It would be recalled that Queen Elizabeth II, 86 years, ascended the British throne in February 1952.
Regarded by pundits as one of the richest persons on earth with total assets well in excess of £90 million, her Diamond Jubilee Celebration recently regarded as the second in British history after Queen Victoria, gulped an aggregate sum of £10 million. This is coming on the heels of economic down turn in Britain with the rate of poverty and unemployment soaring high.
The celebration which kicked off with knocks here and there for the British Royal family and the monarch, picked up very quickly with the tacit support of the British press, the nobility and the parliament.
Before one could say Jack Robinson, the knocks on the Royals, that was expected to show them in bad light, rather drew sympathy for the monarch and turned out to be the galvanizing force for the celebration, that was unprecedented in the annals of British history and its erstwhile colonies, sources confirmed.
Hundreds of thousands of people sang patriotic songs, cheered and waved the Union Jack Flags, outside the Buckingham palace. The Queen who could not believe what she saw, waved back from the balcony of the palace with close members of her family, saying that she was humbled by the show of goodwill and support of the British people.
Her husband, Prince Philip of many years, took ill, with bladder infections and was hospitalized on Monday, and so was absent on that occasion, the Reuters confirmed.
Many observers believed that the Union Jack Flag out sold all previous memorabilia. In addition virtually all the products and shopping bags and other items on display bore the British Union Jack Flag, even cloths and apparels worn, especially by those celebrating, bore the Union Jack. Alcoholic drinks were sold out in their quantity, making it a field day for liquor dealers in London.
The highlight of the Jubilee celebration was the 1,100 flolita display on the River Thames in London, with members of the British Royal family, relishing and savouring the turnout of British citizens, cheering and waving at them.
World leaders including Barak Obama of USA sent in their goodwill message and support for the British monarch.
However, some critics of the British monarch called for the budget of the British Royal family to be cut down, saying that it leaves a big hole in the purse of the British Government. They argued that the amount expended by Government for the upkeep and maintenance of the Royal family should be drafted, to take care of social and infrastructural needs of British citizens.
Yet, other observers are of the view that the British monarchy was out dated and has no bearing with modern day democracy and called for it to be replaced by what they termed “true democracy”.
However, the supporters of the monarch went ahead to debunk critics assumptions, arguing in favour of the Queen, citing her role also as the Head of State of Britain.
They stated that her functions include: power to declare wars, ratify treaty, appoint the Prime Minister, assent to bill before it becomes law and could veto all legislations from Parliament.
In addition, they opined that she has the prerogative of mercy to pardon offenders and cannot be prosecuted on any offence she committed.
Be that as it may, many observers of the British monarchy believe that it has come to stay for a long time, being firmly entrenched in the British tradition, cultural and democratic systems. #
By Azuka Dibie
