Queen off to the races as jubilee events begin

June 2, 2012 - 9:36 am | Category: World

Queen Elizabeth II went to the races Saturday, at the start of a four-day celebration of her 60 years on the throne.

Later in the weekend she’ll make a trip down the River Thames, and then take in a concert — all accompanied by tens of thousands of her subjects, coming out to fete a monarch whose longevity has given her the status of the nation’s favorite grandmother.

Diamond Jubilee festivities officially began Saturday with a 41-gun salute fired by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at Horse Guards Parade in central London.

The 86-year-old monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, arrived at Epsom racecourse south of the capital for the Derby, one of the year’s biggest horse-racing meetings. The queen waved to the 130,000-strong crowd as she was driven down the racecourse in a Bentley bearing the Royal Standard — the car’s sun roof kept shut under gray skies — before settling down to watch the races from the royal box.

She was accompanied by members of the royal family including her sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.