Vee, my English BF gets BBC America and has a wide screen TV, so we watched almost the entire 4 day spectacle together. He even got out his Union Jack.

One has to admire the Queen's stamina at 86. Kate never looked lovelier nor more radiant. It was pointed out by a Brit commentator that the three greatest English monarchs were women: the two Elizabeths, and Victoria.

You should go over to the Hot Topics forum and read what Americans and Canadians think, on the Royal Jubilee thread.

Vee, I saw the procession yesterday with the carriages and the horses and uniforms, etc., and thought it was spectacular!

I didn't see any live coverage, but I've been following it online, checking out the Queen's and Kate's fashions, etc. Quite the impressive show!

Indeed, you people in the United Kingdom can put on a show like no other! In fact, you are the standard by which such things are judged!

Spectacular, I wish I had been there. My late grandmother was a great admirer of the Queen and in fact was born the same year as the late Queen Mother. She had pictures of them on her living room wall. How she would enjoy this!

I wish the Queen many, many more happy and productive years.

I wish the weather had been better on the day of the flotilla. That royal barge is something! But anyway, the flotilla idea gave a taste of what a spectacular such things were in the day of Queen Elizabeth I. I like that historical aspect.

It is quite amazing to me that the United Kingdom has managed to parlay a group of relatively uninteresting people (the Royals) into cultural representatives and tourist enticers. The lot are expensive to maintain with all their residences and paraphernalia, but they do seem to give good return on the investment.

I took the morning off work yesterday so was able to catch a lot of the procession of the crowd up the Mall and then the infectious excitement when the Royals came out on the balcony. I would have loved to be able to lip read what they were saying. :-)

Shame about the weather, but it probably wouldn't be England without a bit of rain all day.

And good job to the London Police for their excellent crowd control. It was like watching a synchronized dance. Very impressive. And no hooligans! :-)

Today's newspaper had a picture of the Royal Family on the balcony. I can't say much in favor of Camilla's hat, but Kate is lovely.

Watched everything I could on BBC America-have to say I agree with the Beeb critics about the coverage of the flotilla; there was a lot of whittering and a dearth of informative commentary, but the pictures were marvelous.
The concert had me singing, tearing up, and laughing (but not at most of the 'jokes,' I fear) and I do love me some fireworks. It was sad on the last day to see the Queen without Price Philip-she looked smaller, somehow, which is silly; he towers over her when he is by her side!
I'm having a bit of a withdrawal issue, so I am looking forward to Trooping the Color, Olympics and Ascot.
as a side note re: hats:
if Beatrice or Eugenie had worn that octopus arm hat, they would have been pilloried, but Zara gets a pass?

Here is a link that might be useful: Mad Hattery blog

Yes - watched the lot. And as already mentioned - my goodness, wasn't the BBC commentary of the flotilla inane and trite? It was embarrassing.

Quite enjoyed the concert, though.

I agree about the BBC coverage. I only caught a few minutes of it. Some female wearing a straw table-mat on her head reminding the crowd that the Coronation was in 1952 (it was in '53) and lots of other inane chatter.

cece, I thought Beatrice and Eugenie (never know which is which) were more understated than usual; no bad thing.
An aside: when either of those girls gets married do you think their Mother (Sarah F) will be allowed to join them in the church?!
Re Trooping the Colour. Many years ago, while at boarding school one of the nuns 'obtained' tickets and we had a good view over the Mall from Carlton House Terrace. Couldn't see anything of the 'trooping' so spent the time cheering at the mechanical 'pooper-scooper' that followed the horses.

Lydia, certainly the 'Royals' as private people could be described as uninteresting or lacking in great brain-power/charisma/beauty or whatever our celebrity conscious world demands. And yes, they dwell at the top of our ant-heap because of accidents of birth and there is a small minority of UK citizens who would prefer a republic, though God knows which sleazy politician would fit the bill.
But . . . the expense of maintaining a Monarchy apparently works out at the cost of a cup of St**b*cks (yum yum) for each person in the UK per annum. And the Queen (who now pays Income Tax(!) must work harder than any of her citizens and is dearly loved by Her subjects

Cece, I loved the Mad Hattery Blog -- thank you so much for sharing that. I had a wonderful time looking through it.

Vee, I agree, Beatrice and Eugenie were quite understated this time around ... somehow, IMHO, they never look quite put together, though I don't know why. Kate, however, always looks fabulous.

Is this a matter of shape? I used to pass clothes onto my thinner sister and she always looked better in them!

Very much enjoyed what I saw of the celebrations! I am a fan of your royal family--unlike my ancestors, I guess.:)

Last night I watched a program about Her Majesty's long reign. Fascinating, and I find myself admiring her more and more. She has stayed true to herself all these long years. And her fashions! I adore her clothing, the bright colors and clean lines, and of course her stunning hats, which she wears as well as any woman has ever worn a hat.