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[Manner of Speaking]

Thousands of happy well wishers bring the Queen her sunshiny day
By Caroline Davies
(Filed: 22/04/2006)






She may not have got the "sunshiny day" she hoped for, but as the heavy oak door of the Henry VIII Gate at Windsor Castle swung open at noon and the Queen stepped out, the warmth of the welcome from a 15,000-strong crowd outdid anything the sun could have achieved.


The Regimental Band of the Irish Guards struck up a robust Happy Birthday and Windsor High Street erupted into a frenzy of red, white and blue as Union flags were waved and cheers whooped. You could mark her progress through the throng not just by her vivid fuchsia-pink hat, but by the many and varying renditions of Happy Birthday To You, and Three Cheers For Her Majesty rolling along the street like an audible Mexican wave. There was even, courtesy of pupils at Windsor's St Edward's School who were wearing cardboard crowns, a rousing: "Two, Four, Six, Eight. Who do we appreciate? The Queen. The Queen."


And there was no doubt, she was truly appreciated. Her lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, must have put in some marathon training to cope, as she did, with the tidal wave of cards, flowers and gifts thrust at the smiling 80-year-old from thousands of eager hands. Members of the Army, Royal Navy and RAF were drafted in and set up a human chain to carry each safely to her car. "I gave her a card with a huge 80 badge," said Paul Ratcliffe, 34, from Leeds. "I said I didn't expect her to wear it tonight," he added, referring to the family dinner hosted by the Prince of Wales for his mother. "I asked her, 'What is the secret to your amazing stamina?' And she laughed and said, 'I don't know'."


Jigsaws, chocolates, teddy bears, a china corgi - all were proffered, along with just about every flower imaginable. Harminder Bans, 41, from Windsor, gave her a Union flag baseball cap and the Queen promptly waved it at Prince Philip, indicating he would be expected to wear it. No birthday is complete without a cake, so parishioners at St John the Baptist Church provided a giant one - enough for 300 portions. "The Duke of Edinburgh was the first to spot it," said Margaret Parsons. "He brought her over and helped her to cut it. I thought she would just look at it, but she just reached over and cut it." It was then handed out to tourists.


Jennifer Hawkins, from Worthing, had managed to find an inflatable corgi, though by the time the Queen would have spotted it, it was a little the worse for wear having survived an earlier confrontation with a confused police sniffer dog which left it with a ragged ear. "I saw it and had to buy it for the Queen to see. She is absolutely wonderful. Did you see that picture of her out riding the other day. What energy!" she said.


Colin Edwards, 65, an ardent monarchist, from Ruthin, north Wales, told the Queen, whom he was meeting for the 114th time: "Ma'am, as far as I am aware you are the first monarch to celebrate an 80th birthday since Queen Victoria". "Yes, I am," she assured him. Anita Atkinson, 49, from Weardale, Co Durham, was already looking forward to the 90th and 100th birthday celebrations. "I might even have a free fare for her 100th because I will be a senior citizen by then," she said.


The cheering continued unabated throughout the 45 minutes that the Queen spent criss-crossing the High Street. The crowd was 10 deep in some places, and stretched past the Guildhall, where Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall had their wedding ceremony, surpassing the numbers on that occasion. There were sighs of disappointment as the Queen got into her car to leave.


But as the children, many dressed as kings and queens and knights and guards, were led reluctantly away by mothers, the occasion was guaranteed to live on in many memories. "I'm really thrilled to be here, especially for her 80th," said Linda Digby, from Australia, who had planned her holiday around the birthday.


"It's a real milestone in anyone's life."

[Moldy Rutabaga]

Hehe-- to me this is the appropriate response-- no one on Dave's seems to give a rat's behind about the queen's birthday!

Ken:>

[Wangja]