photos from CTV News and Garry Krabsen
Two royal watchers from the Rosebud area had front row seats at Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday celebration in London this weekend, and even caught a glimpse of the monarch herself.
Bev and Garry Krabsen from the Rosebud area were at the centre of the pomp and extravagance of the celebration of the aging Queen’s birthday, which was actually on April 21 but as usual was celebrated in June for more favourable weather.
“It was unbelievable,” said Bev Krabsen. “The noise of it all, the church ringing the bells and the trumpet salute blowing when she shows up. It’s quite amazing.”
Bev and her husband planned the trip with the goal of seeing the Queen and accomplished just that on Friday morning, arriving a few hours early to get good seats, and even snapped a photo of her as she passed in a car towards St. Paul’s Cathedral for a televised service in her honour.
While waiting there Friday morning, they were interviewed by CTV and made the local news at home. They woke up the next morning to a number of texts and emails from friends who had seen them.
“Any where the royal family goes is a media circus,” said Bev.
On Saturday the Krabsens waited at The Mall as the Queen made her way to the tradition Trooping the Colour parade and carriage procession, where the Queen, as the official head of the military, approves of the military display. Afterward was the Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade, at which the Queen’s guards were trooped.
The Queen wore a bright green dress and hat on Saturday that caused a stir on social media for her fashionability.
“She was wearing bright green – she wears bright colours so people can pick her out in the crowd. She’s not very big, that old girl, and as she gets older she gets smaller,” laughed Bev.
“We were about a quarter mile from where the event was taking place and got to see the military bands as they went by, and we left a bit early and made our way to Buckingham Palace and got to see the bands come back again.”
“They (the royals) came out on the balcony and there was a fly-over with Spitfires and Lancasters and jets streaming red, white, and blue smoke. It was really amazing,” said Bev.
Bev told The Mail that she lived in London for a year when she was 21, around 40 years ago, where she worked at a betting service. She has been a royal watcher ever since and has an interest in English history, immersing herself in their culture, so she promised herself that she would return one day.
“Old is old, it mostly stays the same – but I have to admit that the food has improved tremendously in London.”
Bev and Garry spent two weeks sightseeing around Britain and also visiting Scotland and Ireland.
