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Security tight for Queen Mother's birthday |
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August 5, 2000
LONDON,(AP) - Security for the Queen Mother's 100th birthday was expected to be tight Friday amid fears that dissident Irish republicans could disrupt the celebrations with violence. During the Queen Mother's centenary pageant July 19, police detonated a bomb left on the tracks of a west London subway station after receiving a coded warning that the government said bore the mark of dissident Irish terrorists. A senior security source told Britain's Press Association that police suspected terrorists would continued their campaign of violence Friday. But royal watchers said they would not be dissuaded from staking out front row seats at Buckingham Palace and along the parade route to personally wish the Queen Mother Elizabeth a happy 100th birthday. Several dozen marked their soggy places along her carriage route a day early, despite occasional heavy showers. "She came to visit us in Hornsey Rise during the Blitz," said Terry Hutt, who was 5 when he first saw his favorite royal in his north London neighborhood during World War II. "She was my queen. That's why I am here today." Like countless others, Hutt remembers her as Queen Elizabeth, consort of King George VI at a time when Britain faced Hitler's forces virtually alone, enduring heavy bombing and years of deprivation. Vivid, youthful memories link many of the wartime generation to the Queen Mother.
Britain's newspapers were among the first to salute the Queen Mother on Friday with photo tributes. The Daily Telegraph featured 100 pictures of the Queen Mother dating back to 1900 while The Times newspaper carried a 28-page pullout section illustrating a life that has neatly spanned the 20th century. Those gathered along the broad avenue of The Mall will have only a few minutes to catch a glimpse of the Queen Mother. Accompanied by eldest grandson Prince Charles, she is to leave her home at Clarence House by horse-drawn carriage at noon (1100 GMT) and make the short trip up The Mall to Buckingham Palace. Along with her daughters, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, she is to appear on the palace balcony and hear a 41-gun salute before a private luncheon celebration with 30 members of her family. While at the palace, the postman will hand-deliver a centenary card from the queen, who traditionally sends birthday wishes to everyone in Britain who turns 100. This one, for her mother, will have an additional personal message. Eleven other centenarians will receive similar cards on the same day. Janet Carter, who will be waiting patiently on The Mall for a wave from the Queen Mother on Friday, may not have the same birthday but she never forgets the Queen Mother's. "I try to come down every year," she said Thursday in between rain showers. "We've been here since yesterday evening. I can't wait to get a glimpse of the Queen Mum. I am a true royalist and I reckon she's the best of the bunch." The Queen has also issued a special honors list to mark her mother's 100th birthday. Nine people are to be honored, including five who helped stage the Queen Mother's centenary pageant on London's Horse Guards parade ground in July. Major Michael Parker, the pageant's producer, is to be knighted along with Major General Evelyn Webb-Carter, chairman of the pageant committee. Fiona Fletcher, secretary to the Queen Mother's ladies in waiting, is to be awarded a CVO, becoming a Commander of the Victorian Order. |
