Camilla on Guest List

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[WilliamDaily] Camilla on Guest List



LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating
the 50th anniversary of her coronation with a number of events
Monday, including a visit to the site where she was crowned.

In stark contrast to last year's lavish Golden Jubilee festivities,
the queen marked the day in a relatively low-key fashion with a
service at Westminster Abbey -- where her coronation was held on June
2, 1953 -- and a children's garden party at Buckingham Palace.

About 1,000 members of the public were given tickets to the service
at Westminster Abbey, while hundreds of others gathered outside to
cheer the queen as she arrived with her husband, Prince Philip.

Sixteen senior members of the royal family attended the service,
except for Prince Harry -- third in line to the throne -- who is
taking exams at school. Also absent was Prime Minister Tony Blair,
who was attending the G-8 summit in Evian, France. (Full story)

Maurice Hudson, who marched along the 14-mile (22-kilometer)
procession the day the queen was crowned a half century ago, was
among those attempting to get a glimpse of the queen outside the
abbey.


Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation on June 2, 1953  
"She's been a unifying force. She's here as a long-term head of
state, whereas people like the prime minister are just passing
politicians who come and go," Hudson told The Associated Press.

Later, the garden at Buckingham Palace was opened to more than 500
children as well as pop stars, disc jockeys and circus performers.
Organizers also set up a fun fair in the palace garden.

"We thought that during the Golden Jubilee celebrations there
possibly wasn't enough for children, so this is an opportunity to put
that right," Malcolm Ross, the queen's comptroller, told AP.

Another notable event marking the 50th anniversary will be a dinner
with senior members of the royal family.

The queen's eldest son, Prince Charles, is hosting the gathering at
his new residence, Clarence House -- formerly the London home of the
Queen Mother, who died last year at the age of 101.

In addition to Charles' eldest son Prince William -- who turns 21 on
June 21 -- the party list includes Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles'
long-time companion who is making her first official appearance at a
royal function.


The queen during last year's Golden Jubilee celebrations
The attendance by Parker Bowles at both a public and private royal
event is seen as an easing of tensions between the queen and Parker
Bowles, who Charles began being seen publicly with after the death of
Diana, the Princes of Wales, whom he divorced.

The queen ascended to the throne on February 6, 1952, on the death of
her father, King George VI, but the coronation only took place 16
months later.

The 50th anniversary coronation celebrations are much smaller than
last year's Golden Jubilee which marked the queen's 50-year reign.

The jubilee events included parties across the country -- many
attended by the queen herself -- as well as parades and two live
concerts on the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

The concerts were attended by thousands of people, while many more
watched on huge screens outside the palace or live on television.