Applause erupted as Queen Elizabeth II arrived at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Photo Credit: Matt Dunham/AP
In this photo: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, John Major, Tony Blair, Cherie Blair, Princess Anne, Ban Ki Moon, Jacques Rogge, Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, David Cameron, Samantha Cameron, King Constantine of Greece and wife Anne-Ma. Credit: PacificCoastNews.com
The Duke of Cambridge and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at the Olympic stadium. Photo Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe.
Prince Charles and Camilla looked cheery at the Opening Ceremony. Photo Credit : AP.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Photo Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe.
The Queen at the Olympic stadium. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Toby Melville.
While many influential members of Britain’s royal family were present in the 60,000-strong audience at London’s Olympic stadium on Friday, most would agree it was the Queen who took center stage at Danny Boyle‘s 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony creation: “Isles of Wonder”.
The Queen’s entrance into the Olympic Stadium came directly after her film debut— in which she is picked up from Buckingham Palace via helicopter by famous British spy character icon James Bond (Daniel Craig)— and a likeness of her then parachutes into the event.
“Queen Elizabeth’s virtuoso performance as the ‘Bond girl’ star of the Olympic opening ceremony crowns a majestic 15-year special operation that has recast the monarch as the people’s champion of a cool Britannia,” Reuters (London) points out.
“The central theme of the strategy,” Reuters (London) reports, “has been to undermine the criticism that the monarchy are a stuffy relic of the past by linking them with popular British culture and casting stunts that accentuate the playful side of the royal character.”
The Queen’s entrance raised eyebrows, but not in a negative sense; in fact, people were pleasantly surprised to see Her Majesty’s humorous side emerge.
“The queen was the star of the show – she was bloody wonderful,” said a Scottish soldier serving at the Olympics to Reuters (London). “She was the best bit,” he said. “I think it shows the people another side to her. I think the people love her but since the Jubilee and after this a lot of people see just what a wonderful queen she is.”
Simon Lewis, Communications Secretary to the Queen from 1998 to 2000, also spoke to Reuters, saying: “There was a lightness of touch about what the queen did at the Olympics – it was absolutely right.”
“It was perfectly judged and completely fitting for the occasion. The monarchy in 2012 is the product of a great deal of careful thinking over a long time and some quite sensible, small steps along the way.”
