The Brits love a good pageant, and the 4-day celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's historic 70-year reign kicked off today with the trooping of the colors by the palace guards (Coldstream, Grenadiers, Welsh and Irish) and the customary appearance of royal family members (minus certain controversial ones) on the Buckingham Palace balcony overlooking thousands gathered on The Mall:
Above, pictured left to right, are the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William. From the live coverage, the Queen, little Prince Louis and his mother the Duchess of Cambridge seemed to be the most excited in watching the British military flyover.
Americans tout our egalitarian roots and our hunger for change, but we can't look away from the royal pomp of the Brits celebrating their centuries-old monarchy, a time capsule from the past populated with figures from the present in their medal-bedecked uniforms and over-the-top hats, with their kids in tow like any others.
