Queen Elizabeth Gets Animated at Her First Platinum Jubilee Event: See Her Many Facial Expressions!
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth is in high spirits!
The British monarch, 96, attended her first Platinum Jubilee event on Sunday evening as she made an appearance at the Windsor Horse Show's televised event, "A Gallop Through History," which paid tribute to her 70 years on the throne.
And the Queen put on a rare animated display as she took in the special, which featured acting and musical performances, as well as horse displays, and welcomed presenters among the likes of Tom Cruise and Helen Mirren.
The Queen was driven a short distance from Windsor Castle to the showground for the event. After arriving in a black Range Rover, the monarch stepped on the red carpet to huge applause from thousands of spectators.
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth
She was accompanied by her son, Prince Edward, and used her walking stick to make her way around the event. The Queen wore a gray cardigan and a blue dress, which she accessorized with black shoes and a handbag.
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During the event, the Queen watched from the Royal Box. There, she marveled at the show, including the musical ride by the Household Cavalry — the Queen's official bodyguards at ceremonial functions.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth
The Queen enthusiastically and pointed out the horses and their riders while soul and blues singer Gregory Porter sang his track, "Revival."
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth
The Queen clearly loved the Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland, who were joined in a drum-off with the drummers of the Royal Marines. She smiled broadly and clapped enthusiastically at the end of the joint performance.
Sitting nearby in the Royal Box were her son, Edward, and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, as well as family friend Penny Romsey. The Queen was at the event for almost two hours.
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Cruise, 59, introduced a section that celebrated the four nations of the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Before presenting, he opened up to ITV about The Queen's impact over her record-breaking reign.
"[To] people of all walks of life — not just America but the world — [she's admired for] dignity, devotion and kindness that I have always felt about her," he said. "And [she is] someone who understands her position and held it through a history of 70 years."
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth
An emotional high point came when Lady Louise Windsor — the Queen's granddaughter — rode in on the late Prince Philip's exercise carriage. Lady Louise has inherited Philip's passion for the sport. As the camera panned to the Queen, her eyes glistened with pride.
Moments earlier, it had been a different emotion that she showed — a nonchalant shrug when presenter Alan Titchmarsh praised her with: "constant heart beating in the nation, that heart belongs to Her Majesty the Queen."
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth
The finale comprised of a parade of some of her own horses — two working ponies from the Balmoral estate in Scotland and two fell ponies with which she was recently photographed. And capping it all was her 26-year-old fell pony called Carlton Lima Emma, led by her groom of 28 years, Terry Pendry.
There was even time for a joke for one of the hosts Omid Djalili, who said thanks "for choosing us over the State Opening of Parliament" (which she missed last Tuesday). The Queen gave him a simple wave in return.
Chris Jackson/Getty Queen Elizabeth
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The show ended with Dame Helen Mirren, dressed as Elizabeth I, saying, "For all these years you have carried our nation and have been its heart and drumbeat. Our sincere and most loving thanks."
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Helen Mirren
Queen Elizabeth will continue to celebrate the milestone with dozens of events before ending with a series of festivities on the weekend of June 2 to June 5.
Further events will include Trooping the Colour (the annual public festivities for the Queen's birthday), the lighting of Platinum Jubilee beacons, a service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral, the Derby at Epsom Downs, a live concert called 'Platinum Party at the Palace,' the Big Jubilee Lunch, and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
