'A Diamond Weekend', By Jonathan Knott, British Ambassador To Hungary

  • 11 Jun 2012 9:02 AM
'A Diamond Weekend', By Jonathan Knott, British Ambassador To Hungary
Did you see the celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this weekend? I thought they were spectacular. The procession of boats down the river Thames was majestic. The concert outside Buckingham Palace was fabulous and star-studded. And the street parties around the UK looked like such joyful occasions. Certainly the one I went to at the British International School in Budapest was a lot of fun.

The whole weekend brought home to me how popular the Queen is in the UK. And how much the people of Britain appreciate her contribution to their country. I think the reason for that is that the Queen and the royal family have managed to move with the times and have remained relevant even now when the country has changed from the traditional, sedate place it was 60 years ago to one of the most vibrant, creative, high technology, environmentally conscious and multi-cultural places on the planet.

That doesn’t just mean the Royal Family have a Facebook page (though they do and you can visit it at facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy), but their interests and passions reflect today’s Britain. As a new Ambassador I was invited to one of the Queen’s garden parties this year. What struck me there was the variety of people she had invited.

From film and theatre producers to people who work with the underprivileged to CEOs from cutting edge internet firms to fashion designers. It was a real cross section of our modern society. And the sandwiches were excellent too!

With so much bad news around right now and with such economically difficult times for British people, as they are for Hungarians, this celebration has given the UK a great boost at the beginning of the summer. In celebrating the Queen’s jubilee we celebrated our own development over these 60 years and all we have to offer to others.

God Save the Queen!

Source: British Embassy Budapest

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