It was a quiet, solemn Friday in the Foxtons office after news of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. Throughout all of our current team’s lifetimes and Foxtons entire existence as a London estate agency, Queen Elizabeth II has ruled over the United Kingdom. To celebrate her life and 70-year reign, we’d like to reflect on a few journeys through London that Her Majesty took.
A memorable evening
This took place a few years before her ascendancy to the throne. In 1945, on the evening of VE Day, London erupted into celebration of the grateful ending of WWII. The Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were given permission to slip out of Buckingham Palace and join the festivities in London’s streets. Elizabeth wore her Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform with the brim pulled low so as not to be recognised – the uniform is on display in the National Army Museum.
Princess Elizabeth stood amongst the crowd around Buckingham Palace and saw her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, address them from the balcony. The procession of revellers went through Trafalgar Square and danced the conga through the Ritz in Piccadilly (Channel 4). 50 years later, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II said, “I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief…I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life” (London 1945, Maureen Waller).
Jubilee and the Thames
Over the years, The Queen’s Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees have filled Central London with celebration and reverberated out into neighbourhoods through thousands of street parties across the Capital and through the country. There was something about being able to get involved regardless of class or station – whether standing outside Buckingham Palace or hanging bunting in the street with our neighbours – that blossomed into a strong feeling of community spirit for so many different people.
We detail the Jubilee Walks in this article.
Photo: Jubilee Walkway 1977 by DavidSandoz | CC BY | Flickr
At the Jubilee marking the 70th anniversary of The Queen’s reign, the Platinum Jubilee Pageant included a River of Hope, made of 200 silk flags, which flowed through the streets of London and moved up through The Mall, undulating like water. The flags were adorned with children’s drawings and hopes for the future.
That theme of the river runs through all the jubilee pageants, starting with Queen Elizabeth’s first Silver Jubilee for 25 years of service. The royal barge travelled from Greenwich to Lambeth, landing for Her Majesty to meet several mayors and community groups along the way. The Queen gave a luncheon on the HMS Britannia by the Tower of London. According to the Royal Family website, this was done to emulate the ceremonial barge trips Elizabeth I made (Royal Family).
The Queen’s Coach
This year, the Elizabeth Line opened, starting with services between Paddington and Abbey Wood in May 2022. On the 17th of May, before its opening, Her Majesty made a royal visit to the new line. It hadn’t been the first time she’d visited to commemorate progress for TFL, however, this one felt special to us. The line was named in her honour, and unveiled during her Platinum Jubilee. She saw the new line at Paddington Station, meeting those who built it and would be staffing it. She unveiled a plaque to commemorate the completion, and even got her own Oyster Card.
The Journey Continues
In a public address on her 21st birthday, Elizabeth said, “This is a happy day for me, but it is also one that brings serious thoughts, thoughts of life looming ahead with all its challenges and with all its opportunity…I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.” The impact of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, will continue to course through the heart of the Capital, engraved as much in the landscape around us as in our culture.
