DIAMOND JUBILEE

Before London forgot about details of last year's grand wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, and prepared for the 2012 Olympics, the city plunged into the vortex of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations (60th anniversary) of Queen Elizabeth II's ascent to the throne. Of course, not only London was celebrating - from 2 to 5 June, celebrations were held across the UK, but certainly they looked bigger and more spectacular of all in the capital.

About one million people watched a river parade for four hours - more than 1,000-strong flotilla led by the royal barge, The Spirit of Chartwell, sailed through the Thames. The next day, during a colourful ceremony, the Queen herself lit one of the 4,500 torches in her honour. The royals proceeded through one of the main streets of London - Whitehall - in a carriage and came out on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet their subjects and to see an air parade - Second World War planes - the Dakota military transport plane, the Lancaster bomber, Spitfire fighters as well as the Red Arrows pilot group.

Those who wished to see the monarch lined up along the route from the early morning, while some even slept on the streets despite the rain. The weather during the celebrations was pretty cool, but the British authorities did not even think of dispersing the clouds. Everything was in a true London style - grey sky, grey Thames, grey houses, lush green parks, red double-decker buses and a host of colourful umbrellas.

And all this was literally immersed in the white-red-blue colours of the British flag flying in all directions. Huge banners decorated the majestic facades of government and historical buildings. Residents of the Foggy Albion and tourists carried small flags in their hands, stuck them in their hair and hats, tacked them to their bags, put them in their pockets and attached them to cars and bicycles. The colours of the Union Jack were the chief ornament of caps, wigs, pins, cufflinks, ties, coats, scarves, dresses, and flashed on tattoos, balloons, posters, souvenirs, sandwich containers, tissues ... And, of course, the aircraft of the pilot group also left behind a "national" trail in the sky.

The culmination of the Diamond Jubilee was a concert in honour of the Queen featuring rock and pop stars - Elton John, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, Paul McCartney and others, accompanied by stunning pyrotechnic effects and topped with beautiful fireworks. Tickets to the show, which took place near Buckingham Palace, were played in the national lottery. Those who were not fortunate enough to get closer to the stage did not lose heart - they sat on portable chairs and blankets directly under the huge screens on the Mall and Hyde Park. People came with their families long before the start of the action.

"Yes, we love our Queen," says a smiling engineer who specially came to London from Liverpool for several days.

"We have something to be proud of," says his wife who carries a flag on the shoulders.

"If you ask about patriotic feelings, then yes - this is what the holiday is really about," says Jeff, or as he introduced himself, "a real Londoner".

Next to Jeff is his entire family - wife, two children, mother and father. The man gently holds rosy-cheeked toddler who recently learned to walk. The child has a mug in his hands and of course, it is red, blue and white.

Two students from London declined to comment on their attitude towards the holiday. They just show the finger as a sign of admiration and pose for the camera with pleasure - the girls are wearing light racing suits and masks showing the face of the queen.

Yes, for many Britons, the very question of why the country needs a monarchy may seem pointless or even blasphemous. However, there are those who believe that the UK needs to become a republic. The main argument of the opponents of Elizabeth II and her heirs is the economy, which is not experiencing the best of times in Europe now. This trend has also affected the apparently stable United Kingdom. Young people are particularly sensitive to negative changes - students who have had their tuition fees raised and those who cannot find a job even with a diploma. Against this backdrop, the Windsor dynasty - with their six-digit expenses on castles, dinners, costumes, weddings, travels, cars, and various celebrations - may indeed seem a little out of irrelevant. According to the Centre for Citizenship website, the British royal family is the most expensive monarchy in Europe.

However, on the other hand, according to the BBC, in terms of per capita calculations, UK residents can afford the queen. Every citizen spends no more than 1 pound per year on the monarchy. The income from the existence of the Windsor dynasty is much higher - according to the Visit Britain tourist organization, it is about 500 million pounds. Indeed, London, which continues to top the list of the most visited cities in the world, would probably lose a huge share of its charm and uniqueness with the loss of the monarchy.

After all, the Windsors are not only the most expensive, but also the most famous royal family in the world, and its members deserve recognition by right, because they continue to supply the public with real Shakespearean stories - love stories, fairy-tale weddings, high-profile divorces, secrets, gossip and even, alas, a tragic death. The news of the car accident in which Princess Diana died in 1997 shocked many people around the world - the funeral ceremony was broadcast live by almost all the national channels. After 15 years, the whole world (about 2 billion people) watched the pompous wedding of Diana's sons - Prince William. Perhaps, there is really something magical about it, after all, the funeral or wedding of a Hollywood star or a politician will never be able to attract such an avalanche of attention in the world.

The present of each nation is based on the symbols of the past, and in the UK they are not only heroic or related to cultural heritage like elsewhere, but also ceremonial and aristocratic. This is the distinguishing feature of a country with which it is impossible to part. And it is also a reminder of the days when Britain was the actual ruler of nearly half the world and everyone was forced to reckon with the will of its monarch, even "immediate family" overseas ... it was quite funny to read the thoughts of a columnist in a London newspaper who overheard two Americans talking in a gift shop - the descendants of the passengers of the legendary Mayflower touchingly worried whether they would be allowed to tour the rooms of Buckingham Palace in shorts. The British journalist said he would remember those Americans on British soil for a long time, as they probably "thought about the dress code" for the first time... So there is no doubt that the guards in red uniforms and furry hats will continue to stand motionless in front of crowds of tourists, and subjects will continue to be willing to wait in the rain all night in order to see their monarch from a distance only for a few minutes. It is not surprising that, according to various polls, the majority of Britons are in favour of keeping the monarchy.

But to say that Elizabeth II is only a ceremonial symbol of British traditions would be wrong and unfair. For many UK citizens, the Queen is, above all, a symbol of strength and stability.

One small detail. At the end of the anniversary celebrations, some tabloids published photos which show very tired looking princes William and Harry. In contrast to her grandchildren, their grandmother, whose age is approaching 90, always looks trim and cheerful.

Queen Elizabeth II ascended the British throne in 1952. Thus, of all the British monarchs, only Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee on the throne in 1897 (she spent 63 years on the throne). The current Queen is still head of the armed forces, the Church of England and, of course, head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as the queen of 15 states of the Commonwealth (Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua - New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Jamaica). During the 60 years, the Queen has paid 261 official visits to 116 countries of the world - from the Cocos Islands with a population of 600 people to China.

Although the monarch is not involved in political decision-making, all the prime ministers of Great Britain regularly discuss the country's key issues with her. Suffice it to mention that during the reign of Elizabeth, the UK has seen 12 prime ministers, including the legendary Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.

The Queen's support or disapproval is extremely important for forming public opinion and for uniting the nation. Indeed, the UK, despite its relatively small size, is in fact a very diverse country, which consists of different parts (with their customs and even accent) and has become a second home for immigrants from around the world. In this maelstrom of various political and social interests, Elizabeth II remains a reliable "anchor" of stability. Politicians come and go. The Queen remains with the British.