What A Whitney Wants: Three Cheers for the Queen!

The British know how to party when it comes to celebrating the Queen. It's like 4th of July on steroids! Everyone has a Union Jack that they're waving around and there are people walking around with masks of the royals on their faces... I thought it was all pretty silly at first. After all, the Queen is just a figurehead, right? Wrong! I learned more about her role as a leader and representative than I ever thought I could. And by seeing the love and respect the people held for her, I too learned to appreciate her and what she represented over the few days of Jubilee.

This Jubilee wasn't your ordinary royal ball, it was the Diamond Jubilee. This has only occurred once before in history. And I was there for the second time it happened. Sunday was the first major celebratory event. What better way to kick off a the festivities than a massive parade down the Thames River with hundreds of barges? After Church, a group of us headed down to the river with our packed dinner, and waited a couple of hours for the queen. We moved around to a few different spots. We settled next to a bench that was raised. Two of my companions got a ledge on the side of the bench, and I shoved my way in front of the bench for a better view. We were determined. It was just a really funny situation. One of those where you just start talking to the people around you. You all have something in common: You're all standing in the cold on your tip-toes, straining to see an 86 year-old woman that for some reason, you adore. And that is what makes this fun. It's the Police Officer directing pedestrian traffic that instructs everyone to move to the right and "keep smiling" as they do so. It's not about fighting crowds for a silly reason. I went because I wanted to have an experience. I got to (literally) immerse myself into Britons and their culture at its best. I was surrounded by Britons that were proud to be British. Gathering together under one flag, and one non partisan leader.

It was this appeal that had me coming back for more.

The next night, despite having a chunk of history reading due the next day, a group of us went to Hyde Park to watch a broadcast of the concert. I had been there in front of Buckingham Palace when they were setting up. And there was no chance of getting there, so they set up viewing sites. But this was pretty epic. It was one of my favorite nights in London. There was a huge stage and screens in this park as people gathered to watch. We were just sitting down chilling on the blanket when it began... but three minutes in, we had made our way to the middle of the crowd to dance. We didn't know half of the performers, but we cheered with the rest of the Londoners and had a ball! And, oh boy, when Elton John played "Crocodile Rock" we went at it. But it was Paul McCartney that stole my heart! It was one of those moments, when you just have to feel it to know it. You feel the vibe that everyone around you has as you sing the words to the song. In that moment, you think about how you feel and you know that this is a significant moment that you'll always remember. It was like we were actually at the concert. It was the best concert I have never been to.

To end this hard rocking concert, Prince Charles got up and said a few words. But to conclude... he had everyone give three cheers for the Queen. "Hip hip!" "HOORAY!!!" "Hip Hip!" "HOORAY!!!!!" "Hip Hip!" "HOORAY!!!" Oh boy did I join the ranks in this one. It was just such a precious moment. The cute little fragile Queen was standing there and I just wanted to cheer her on! And in the most stereotypical way you can cheer on a Monarch. It was just so cute and British. I got all into it with my fist punching the air to each "hooray!" It was fantastic. But, the real finale was in the fireworks, which could be seen from where we stood. When I got back to the centre, I found a group of girls singing Katy Perry's "Firework" song and saw two ladies doing a dance to the singing. I immediately recognized this dance from the Wii game Just Dance. Instinct took over and I jumped in to take the win. Naturally, I had the dance memorized too. Not that I'm the reigning Just Dance Champ in my house or anything. (I am.)

The next day was the Royal Procession through the streets amongst other events the Queen attended. This day, our group actually went into the Churchill War Rooms. This was the cramped underground space where great decisions and pivotal moments in WWII took place. It was fascinating to learn more about Churchill as both a person and a politican. And to see the conditions and the fears that they must have had at the time. It helped me to get a clearer glimpse at the pressure they felt and the foggy future they faced. After this, I walked out and realized that it was about time for the Queen to leave the Houses of Parliament, this happened to be two minutes from where I was standing. So, being the pushy American that I am, I elbow my way to the front just in time to see the Queen in her carriage followed by Will, Kate and Harry. It was pretty awesome. Upon my return to the Centre, we had a "tea" party. We watched the activities the Queen participated in through the day while eating scones with jam and clotted cream. It was pretty fun.

And with that, this remarkable event was over.

I am really glad I got to participate in these few days. It was neat to see the different people and especially witness their love for the Queen.