Royal aides said that Prince Philip, who was dressed in his uniform as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, had been "determined" to accompany the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year to the annual display of pomp and pageantry marking her 86th birthday.
At times, however, he looked frail under the weight of his Bearskin as it was buffeted by strong winds.
Riding behind them, accompanied by the Sovereign’s Escort of 200 horses from the Household Cavalry, were the Royal Colonels - the Duke of Cambridge, Colonel of the Irish Guards dressed in the scarlet tunic he wore at his wedding, the Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals and the Duke of Kent, Colonel of the Scots Guards.
The Duke of Cambridge rode Wellesley, the dappled-grey charger of the Household Division on which he made his parade debut on horseback last year.
The Duchess of Cambridge, wearing a pale grey embroidered silk dress by Erdem and matching hat by Jane Corbett, travelled in an open-topped carriage to the parade ground in Whitehall with the Duchess of Cornwall, who was wearing a blue suit by Fiona Clare, and Prince Harry, dressed in his Blues and Royals uniform and Army Air Corps beret.
The Colour being paraded at the event was the flag of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, who have completed two tours to Afghanistan in recent years, and are due to deploy again next year.
It was the 60th parade at which the Queen has presided. She first took the royal salute in 1951, when she deputised for her gravely ill father, King George VI, and has continued receiving the mark of respect every year since - with the exception of 1955 when there was a national rail strike.
Trooping the Colour is an enactment of the traditional preparations for battle when the Colours, or flags of a regiment were “trooped” down the ranks in order to be recognised by soldiers.
The honour of carrying the Colour was given to 2nd Lieutenant Hugo Codrington, who carried the flag bedecked with a wreath to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Dettingen, in which the Coldstream Guards fought in June 1743.
More than 1,600 officers and soldiers were on parade in the traditional uniforms of the Household Cavalry, Royal Horse Artillery and Foot Guards, under the command of Lieutenant Robin Sergeant of the Coldstream Guards.
The ceremony included 241 horses, among them, Majesty, a Household Cavalry black which has been newly-named by members of the public who were invited to name a horse belonging to the regiment in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.
As Colonel in Chief, the Queen began the parade by inspecting the line of foot guards from the Glass Coach to the sounds of the Slave Chorus from Verdi’s Nabucco followed by a medley of West Country songs, played by the Band of the Welsh Guards.
Taking a seat next to Prince Philip, she then took the Royal Salute, nodding her head and tapping her foot in time to the music as the massed bands of the Household Division paraded past the monarch, first to a slow, then a quick march, to the tunes of Handel’s Scipio and the Red Feathers regimental march.
Members of the Royal family including the Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent watched the parade from a balcony in Horse Guards Building.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron and his wife Samantha, the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and General Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, were also among the guests at Horse Guards, which next month will be transformed into the Olympic arena for the beach volleyball events.
In a nod to the brighter weather than the showers which accompanied much of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations two weeks ago, the Queen wore the primrose yellow Angela Kelly “sunray” dress and the matching hat that she wore to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding last year, with the Brigade of Guard brooch pinned to her lapel.
After the parade, the Royal procession returned to Buckingham Palace, cheered by thousands of well wishers who had gathered along the Mall, bedecked with Union flags and lined with 250 foot soldiers from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards and the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
To mark the Queen’s official birthday, the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery, who missed last year’s ceremony due to a suspected outbreak of ringworm, fired a gun salute in Green Park at 12.52pm, which was followed by another gun salute from the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company.
Shortly before 1pm, the Queen and more than 30 members of her family appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where they were cheered by the huge crowds that had gathered outside the Palace.
The celebrations culminated with an RAF flypast featuring a Hercules, an E3D surveillance plane and the £150 million Voyager, the RAF’s newest and biggest ever aircraft.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which includes a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane, could not take part due to the windy conditions, but the flypast ended with rousing cheers from the crowds as the Red Arrows soared over Buckingham Palace, trailing their customary red, white and blue smoke.
On Sunday the Duchess of Cambridge will visit a primary school in Kent where she will meet children taking part in an outdoor residential course. The Duchess will join them in their activities, including building a shelter, campfire building and outdoor cooking.
On Monday, she and the Duke of Cambridge will join the Queen and Prince Philip at the Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Southend woman's face gouged during mugging - BBC News
A 22-year-old woman had her face gouged during a mugging by a gang in a park in Southend.
It happened at 12:30 BST on Tuesday in Southchurch Hall Park.
A female attacker scratched the victim's face while four men kicked her in the legs and waist and stole £62, store cards and a gold chain.
Det Con Rory Scarlett said: "This was an absolutely terrifying attack on a woman who was left severely distressed and covered in blood."
Police said one line of inquiry is that an organised gang may be responsible for a number of muggings in the area.
The victim, who asked to be named only as Leanne, has agreed to the police releasing a photo of her injuries.
Forced to groundShe told the police she was grabbed from behind and had her hair pulled back by the female who led the attack.
The four men helped force her to the ground and the gang stole her bag which contained the items.
Leanne was comforted by passersby until the police and paramedics arrived.
Essex Police said the female attacker is thought to be in her 20s, of mixed race and has dark hair in a pony tail.
Three of the men were black, wearing black or red hooded tops and thought to be in their early 30s.
The fourth man is described as white, in his 20s, of skinny build and wearing a black jumper.
Det Con Scarlett said: "We want to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or from anyone who saw the attackers lurking in the park before the incident or running away afterwards."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Kent State vs. Arkansas (Game #3) - ESPN
Kent State vs. Arkansas (Game #3)
Sat Jun 16, 2012 5:00 PM
Source: espn.go.com
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