Harry, Kate, and William
Today two of my favorite people are celebrating their birthdays: Anderson Cooper, and Queen Elizabeth II.
Anderson Cooper and Mildred Muhammad
Mr. Cooper featured Mildred Muhammad in an Anderson show about domestic violence.
Queen Elizabeth II
Great Britain is celebrating the Queen’s birthday this weekend with a Diamond Jubilee. Since the celebration has gotten limited coverage here in the United States, I thought y’all might like to see photos I found at The Telegraph’s web site. They are giving the best coverage of the Jubilee as well as Queen Elizabeth’s life and reign.
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1952
When Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation aired in 1952, television was in its infancy. I was a three-year-old toddler campaigning for the late, great, future Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL). Although he was born 12 days before me, I wasn’t aware of Prince Charles. We didn’t yet have television at our house.
Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee, 1977
Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977 ~ a year after America’s Bicentennial celebration. I had just learned that my family fought on both sides of the American Revolution. My Sir Francis Drake family ancestors, of course, were loyal to the king. The Declaration of Independence, however, was written on my Rittenhouse ancestor’s paper. David Rittenhouse was friends with Franklin and Jefferson and was honored with a square in Philadelphia while my Drake ancestors were “respectfully requested” to relocate to Canada to avoid being hung for treason.
Diamond Jubilee coin
America commemorated the Bicentennial with a specially minted quarter. England is commemorating the Diamond Jubilee with this coin.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip at Epsom Derby
Queen Elizabeth II loves horse racing and owns a stable of racing horses. Yesterday, she celebrated at the Epsom Derby.
Despite horrendous weather, huge crowds turned out to watch the highly touted sailing of an armada of ships of all types and sizes down the River Thames today. I was thrilled to stumble upon CNN’s coverage today.
Gloriana Leads the Armada
The queen’s Gloriana was the first boat in an estimated flotilla of 674 boats.
Spirit of Chartwell
The royal family watched the armada from Queen Elizabeth’s barge, the Spirit of Chartwell.
Queen Elizabeth II on Chelsea Pier
Great Britain is infamous for their pageantry, and today was no exception.
Although Queen Elizabeth II rarely smiles, she deeply appreciated her subjects who entertained and honored her today with stiff-upper-lip, classic British determination. The rain poured, but they were all smiles.
The tall ships were moored at the banks of the Thames to watch the flotilla of smaller boats.
England became a naval power after Sir Francis Drake defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Anne Caroline Drake 
Thanks for the fun article and great pics! I love how you celebrate the other “queens” LOL.
Oh, Julie! LOL ~ you have NO idea ~ well, maybe you do ~ how close I came to saying that in my post.
When we meet, we’ll have to have proper tea. I have the most awesome tea service and bone china. . .Royal Doulton, of course.
Love the queen. Thank you!!!!!
On 26 September, Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth with Drake and 59 remaining crew aboard, along with a rich cargo of spices and captured Spanish treasures. The Queen’s half-share of the cargo surpassed the rest of the crown’s income for that entire year. Drake was hailed as the first Englishman to circumnavigate the Earth (and the second such voyage arriving with at least one ship intact, after Elcano ‘s in 1520). The Queen declared that all written accounts of Drake’s voyages were to become the Queen’s secrets of the Realm, and Drake and the other participants of his voyages on the pain of death sworn to their secrecy; she intended to keep Drake’s activities away from the eyes of rival Spain. Drake presented the Queen with a jewel token commemorating the circumnavigation. Taken as a prize off the Pacific coast of Mexico, it was made of enameled gold and bore an African diamond and a ship with an ebony hull. For her part, the Queen gave Drake a jewel with her portrait, an unusual gift to bestow upon a commoner, and one that Drake sported proudly in his 1591 portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts now at the National Maritime Museum , Greenwich. On one side is a state portrait of Elizabeth by the miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard , on the other a sardonyx cameo of double portrait busts, a regal woman and an African male. The “Drake Jewel”, as it is known today, is a rare documented survivor among sixteenth-century jewels; it is conserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum , London.
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