LONDON
"Union Jack" flags (click here) fluttered from buildings, shops and train stations across the country, thousands of street parties have been planned and huge crowds are expected to flock to Diamond Jubilee festivities in a country emblazoned red, white and blue.
To royalists, the occasion is a chance to express their thanks and appreciation to the 86-year-old Elizabeth, head of state for 16 countries from Australia and Canada to tiny Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean, for her years of public service.
For others, the chance of some extra days off work and to enjoy the sort of extravaganza and public ceremony for which Britain is renowned has made it a welcome break from austere times, pay freezes and deep public spending cuts....
Gulf News Editorial
Published June 2, 2012
...As governments and people continue to undergo rapid transformations, the significance of the Queen’s reign cannot be underestimated.. It is a sobering influence that she has sought to impart. The festivities therefore will not be out of place even as the people are divided, though only in some cases, over the influence of the monarchy
