Platinum jubilee a special visit OPINION

• Author: Julia McCarthy-Fox Story and photographs
• Published date: 09 June 2022
• Publication title: Te Awamutu Courier

After almost three years in my new home in Te Awamutu I had been waiting for our COVID restrictions to lift in order to visit the UK again with my wife Kathy

We had a number of things that we needed to do and had planned our trip to include the weekend of jubilee celebrations planned in London.

Knowing that this coincided with Queen’s Birthday weekend in New Zealand made it even more special as we knew that the celebrations would be shared across the world.

Arriving in London on June 1 we found a station street party taking place at Waterloo which started our visit in a very happy note before checking into our hotel.

Thursday, June 2 was the start of the four day weekend with Trooping the Colour moved from its traditional Saturday.

Having been on Horseguards Parade for the final rehearsal the previous week we had seen the ceremony itself at very close quarters, and this was about the processions and the balcony appearance.

I did not agree with it being incorporated with the other jubilee plans as I believe it is a standalone event, as the Queen’s official birthday parade it has nothing whatsoever to do with any jubilee, and as it works perfectly well each year it should not be interfered with.

But I was not in charge, and interfered with it most certainly was, in a very detrimental way!

We left the hotel just after 5am and were only a five minute walk from The Mall. For the procession we stood where I have done for years, and in spite of the greatly restricted view due to extra press stands for the other events, plus the last minute arrival of approx 60 people directly in front of us, I somehow managed to get a set of photos of the procession from my step stool.

Sadly Kathy had a very restricted view.

Then we were eventually allowed onto The Mall to join the crowd outside Buckingham Palace for the traditional balcony appearance.

As the Queen had not been part of the procession this year this was a particularly important part of the...