Wednesday, June 6, 2012

The princes, princesses, knights of the realm (and a cook): So who WAS who in the Royal Box at the Diamond Jubilee Concert?

It was a night on which the Queen took centre stage, as thousands gathered to celebrate her 60 years on the throne.
But there was also much interest in the family members, friends and dignitaries who joined the monarch for the Jubilee concert on Monday night.
Guests from across the globe, young and old, sat in the Royal Box at the Buckingham Palace event to watch stars including Stevie Wonder, Sir Elton John and Kylie Minogue perform.
Who's who: guide to the great and the good in Jubilee Concert audience

WHO'S WHO: YOUR GUIDE TO THE GREAT AND THE GOOD WHO SAT ALONGSIDE THE QUEEN IN THE ROYAL BOX

1: The Queen  2: Earl Peel, Lord Chamberlain  3: Pip Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury's son  4: Archibishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams
5: Princess Anne  6: Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence  7: Duchess of Kent, the Queen's first cousin  8: Prince Charles  9: Duchess of Cornwall  
10: Prince Andrew  11: Lord Patten of Barnes, the chairman of the BBC Trust  12: Duke of Kent, the Queen's first cousin   13: Princess Eugenie  
14: Princess Beatrice  15: Duchess of Cambridge 16: Prince William  17: Prince Harry  18: Countess of Wessex  19: Prince Edward  
20: Duke of Gloucester, the Queen's first cousin  21: Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke's Danish wife 22: Princess Alexandra, the Queen's cousin  
23: Countess of St Andrews, an historian at Cambridge University and daughter-in-law of the Duke of Kent  24: Daniel Chatto, artist and husband of 
Princess Margaret's only daughter   25: Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of Princess Margaret and 1st Earl of Snowdon  26: Mike Tindall, married to the 
Queen's granddaughter Zara  27: Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter  28: Peter Phillips, the Queen's grandson 29: Autumn Phillips, wife of Peter 
Phillips  30: Viscount Linley, son of Princess Margaret  31: Viscountess Linley, Viscount Linley's wife  32: Charles Armstrong-Jones, son of the Viscount 
and Viscountess Linley  33: Earl of Ulster, son of Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Queen's cousin  34: Countess of Ulster, the Count's wife and a 
physician  35: Gary Lewis, husband of Lady Davina Lewis, daughter of Duke of Gloucester  36: Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister  37: Samantha 
Cameron, wife of the Prime Minister  38: David Cameron, Prime Minister  39: Governor General of Canada, David Johnston  40: Sharon Johnston, the 
Governor General’s wife  41: Lord Downpatrick, son of Earl and Countess of St Andrews  42: Lady Amelia Windsor, daughter of Earl and Countess of St 
Andrews  43: Lady Nicholas Windsor, Duke and Duchess of Kent's daughter-in-law 44: Lord Nicholas Windsor, Duke and Duchess of Kent's son 
45: Lady Rose Gilman, daughter of Duke and Duchess of Gloucester  46: George Gilman, son-in-law of Duke and Duchess of Gloucester  
47: Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queen’s Private Secretary  48: Lady Geidt, wife of Sir Christopher  49: Baron Fellowes, former Private Secretary to the 
Queen  50: Baroness Fellowes, elder sister of Princess Diana and married to Baron Fellowes  51: Dame Norma Major, wife of former Conservative 
Prime Minister John Major  52: Sir John Major, former Conservative Prime Minister  53: Lord Coe, London 2012 chairman  54: Carole Annett, Lord Coe’s 
wife  55: Heston Blumenthal, chef  56: Suzanne Pirret, Heston Blumenthal’s partner  57: Gabriella di Nora, partner of Sir Donald Gosling, former 
chairman of NCP  58: Sir Donald Gosling, former chairman of NCP  59: BBC Director-General Mark Thompson   60: Lord Bilimoria, life peer and 
chairman of Cobra Beer

Joining the Queen on the front row were Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, along with the Archbishop of Canterbury and his son Pip. 
A notable absence from the line up was obviously Prince Philip, who was in hospital recovering from a bladder infection which left him feeling below par after hours standing in the cold and rain during the Thames River Pageant on Sunday.
Standing just behind the Queen's row were several other members of the Royal Family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex.
 
Royal couple Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips sat in the third row, alongside Zara's brother Peter, his wife Autumn, and Viscount and Viscountess Linley.
Politicians sat in the fourth row with David Cameron and his wife Samantha sitting alongside Nick Clegg.
Mr Cameron sat next to the Governor General of Canada, David Johnston and his wife Sharon.
Laughter: Princes William (C) and Harry (R) laugh as they sit with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during the Diamond Jubilee concert  Laughter: Princes William (C) and Harry (R) laugh as they sit with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during the Diamond Jubilee concert
What a great day: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen laughing with Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall sat behind them
What a great day: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen laughing with Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall sat behind them
Cheryl's a hit! Prince William and Harry were seen beaming while Kate waved her flag with plenty of enthusiasm Cheryl's a hit! Prince William and Harry were seen beaming while Kate waved her flag with plenty of enthusiasm
Cliff Richard entertains the crowds on the Diamond Jubilee Concert stage
By royal appointment: Cliff Richard entertains on the Diamond Jubilee Concert stage as the crowds below wave the union flag in appreciation
Shining light: A beacon is lit outside Buckingham Palace during the Jubilee concert, which was attended by many Royals and dignitaries
Stars: Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John were joined by fellow knights of the realm at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert
Also on Mr Cameron's row were Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor, and the Duke of Gloucester's daughter Lady Rose Gilman and her husband George Gilman.
Sitting behind them were the Queen's Private Secretary, Christopher Geidt, and his wife.

JUBILEE CONCERT BY NUMBERS

  • 3,000 electronic circuits synchronised the display
  • 1 computer launched the entire display
  • 1,000 big mortar shells created the biggest fireworks
  • 2,000 kg of black gunpowder filled the big mortar shells
  • 7,000 kg was the total weight of the mortar shells
  • £80,000 is the estimated cost of the fireworks
  • 10,000 fireworks were set off
  • 800ft is the highest point reached by a firework
  • 600 technicians put the entire concert on
  • 1 megawatt of electricity was used - enough to power a small village for an evening
  • 400 approximate number of hula hoop rotations Grace Jones, 64, achieved during her 4-minute song
  • 16.9 million watched the finale on TV in the UK
  • 82  the age of Rolf Harris, the oldest performer
  • 20,000 people were in the arena
  • 500,000 people filled The Mall
Others in the Royal Box included chef Heston Blumenthal and his partner Suzanne Pirret.
The world-renowned British chef had conjured up a remarkable five-course menu for 12,000 lucky guests who secured free tickets for the concert.
classic hampers featured traditional British dishes such as coronation chicken and Eton mess with a Blumenthal twist.
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major and his wife Norma were at the concert, sitting next to his Tory colleague Lord Coe.
Lord Coe, who is leading London's preparations for the Olympics this summer, attended with his wife Carole Annett.
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson also watched the concert.
Some 12,000 contest winners watched the show from an enclosed area, while a huge crowd stretched down the Mall, the wide boulevard leading up to the palace.
The lineup featured a full hand of knights - McCartney, John, Cliff Richard and Tom Jones, all 'Sirs' - along with Dame Shirley Bassey and younger artists including JLS and Kylie Minogue.
The show opened in a blaze of sound and colour, as a scarlet-clad military band joined Robbie Williams onstage for his hit 'Let Me Entertain You.' Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am performed 'I Gotta Feeling' with songstress Jessie J.
In true something-for-everyone mode, performances ranged from pianist Lang Lang playing Gershwin to American soprano Renee Fleming to 64-year-old Grace Jones hula-hooping her way through 'Slave to the Rhythm.'
Performers from around the world sang a special jubilee song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Take That`s Gary Barlow.
It was the veteran entertainers who went down best. The crowd roared along to Cliff Richard's "Congratulations," and cheered Bassey singing - fittingly - 'Diamonds are Forever.'
Prince Harry could be seen singing along - 'Why, why why?' - as Tom Jones belted out 'Delilah,' while Prince William and his wife Catherine joined in on John's 'Crocodile Rock.'
Ska band Madness performed 80s hit 'Our House' on the palace roof, changing the lyrics to 'Our house, in the middle of one's street.'
The queen may not like to rock'n'roll but she has plenty of fans among rock's elite.
Before the show, Elton John paid tribute to the monarch's constancy.
'She's not trendy, she doesn't follow any fads,' John told the BBC. 'She's stoic, she's brilliant, she's wise, she's funny, and we're all really happy to be here.'
McCartney closed the concert playing 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' on a Union Jack guitar before the queen took the stage with her family.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2154875/Diamond-Jubilee-Concert-Who-sat-Queen-Royal-Box.html#ixzz1x2I9A5fe