Queen celebrates 50th anniversary of coronation

LONDON -- Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the 50th anniversary of her coronation Monday with a religious service at Westminster Abbey, the royal shrine where she was crowned.

A crowd outside the abbey cheered as the queen, wearing a primrose yellow suit and hat, arrived with her husband, Prince Philip.

"She's been a unifying force," said Maurice Hudson, an aviation planner who watched the entrance. "She's here as a long-term head of state, whereas people like prime ministers are just passing politicians who come and go."

The day's other big event was a children's tea party in the garden of Buckingham Palace.

Some 1,000 members of the public were given tickets to the service at Westminster Abbey, where many of the queen's predecessors are buried.

Sixteen senior members of the royal family also attended, although royal grandson Prince Harry was unable to take part because of school exams.

Some 240 people who participated in the 1953 coronation ceremony were invited, along with 34 "coronation babies," born June 2, 1953.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is away at the Group of Eight annual economic summit in France, was being represented by Lord Chancellor Lord Irvine.

The queen ascended to the throne on Feb. 6, 1952, on the death of her father, King George VI, but the coronation took place 16 months later.

The 50th anniversary coronation celebrations are on a much smaller scale than last year's Golden Jubilee which marked the queen's 50-year reign.

Janice Montgomery, 63, wore a British flag-patterned scarf and waved a small Union Jack as she waited outside Westminster Abbey for the queen's limousine.

"I'm just glad we've got a monarch," Montgomery said. "She works jolly hard. I feel sorry for her because it's a boring life, being nice to so many people."

The guest list for the Buckingham Palace tea party included underprivileged children, pop stars, radio disc jockeys and clowns. A fun fair was set up in the palace garden with a 110-year-old carousel, bouncy castles and a circus tent.

"The aim is to give the children a jolly time," said Sir Malcolm Ross, the queen's comptroller.

"We thought that during the Golden Jubilee celebrations there possibly wasn't enough for children, so this is an opportunity to put that right," Ross said.

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On the Net:

British monarchy, http://www.royal.gov.uk/output

Westminster Abbey, http://www.westminster-abbey.org/