Queen Elizabeth is only the second monarch in British history to achieve this milestone, the last being Queen Victoria, her great great grandmother, in 1897.
Her Majesty’s actual birthday falls on April 21 and the rather splendid affair of her official birthday on the second Saturday in June every year. It is marked by the world famous ceremony of “Trooping the Color,” where the colors of a chosen regiment are presented ceremonially and the troops are inspected.
The British diplomatic community in Saudi Arabia however has special dispensation to mark the official royal birthday early. That is out of consideration for the local weather — temperatures in June make it unpleasant to hold the event outdoors.
UK Ambassador Sir Tom Phillips welcomed the guests and especially Head of Protocol Nabil Al-Bokhari, representing the Kingdom at the event.
Addressing the guests, Phillips first congratulated the people of Saudi Arabia on the seventh anniversary of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s accession.
“Everyone in the country and the region has benefited from the wise and steadying leadership he has provided during a time of turbulence and change,” said Phillips.
He added that he had been impressed by his determination to meet the aspirations of the Saudi people “as well as by the strong emphasis on the moral obligations of leadership which has been so apparent in his approach to issues such as the current crisis in Syria.”
Reviewing the year’s visits beginning with Prime Minister David Cameron to King Abdullah and Crown Prince Naif in January, Phillips said: “I know how much my prime minister appreciated the welcome he was given and the opportunity to exchange views on the current range of complex and challenging regional issues on which we work as partners, and as allies.”
Turning to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London, Phillips described some of the events, which will include a flotilla of 100 small boats along the River Thames in a royal progress, and that it happily coincided with the 2012 Olympic Games that begins in just over 90 days.
“For most Britons here tonight, Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne for all of their lives. Through triumphs and through tragedies; through wars and through peace, embodying our traditions and our values.”
Phillips has been in his current post for just two years and is widely respected as a listening, thinking diplomat. It was a poignant moment for many when he bade farewell to the guests and the Kingdom.
“Moving is an inevitable part of a diplomat’s life, but it is never easy. I knew serving in Saudi Arabia would be interesting, but not that we would find so many friends,” he said.
He and his wife Anne were, he said, grateful for the opportunity they had had to get to know something of Saudi Arabia and of the Saudi people. “It has been a privilege and an honor to serve my Queen and my country here.”
The evening concluded with the traditional Sunset Ceremony and the lowering of the Union Jack to mark the closing of the day.
