|
Singers Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue, Sting and
Shaggy will be among those who will entertain Elizabeth and
other British royals at the concert, known as "The Queen's
Birthday Party" at London's Albert Hall.
The event is a break in tradition for the queen who usually
spends her birthday privately with little public celebration,
although there were nationwide events to mark her 90th.
The concert comes at the end of a week in which leaders and
dignitaries from 53 countries came to London for the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and it will feature
performers from the network of mostly former British colonies.
The queen is head of the Commonwealth and the major beneficiary
from Saturday's event, which will be televised live on BBC TV
and radio, will be The Queen's Commonwealth Trust youth charity
to which her grandson Prince Harry was appointed president this
week.
Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, in Bruton Street, central
London and became queen in 1952 at the age of 25, meaning she
has now reigned for more than 66 years.
Despite her age, the queen still regularly carries out official
engagements although her husband Prince Philip, who spent 10
days in hospital this month for a hip replacement, retired from
public life last year.
As is customary with monarch's birthdays, soldiers from the
King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and the Honourable Artillery
Company will fire gun salutes from London's Hyde Park and the
Tower of London.
Elizabeth has an official birthday in June which is publicly
marked with a large parade of soldiers through central London,
known as Trooping the Colour.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
