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from Cathy (cathyvpreece@aol.com)
Queen embarks on jubilee tour

Jack Durrell Guardian Unlimited

Wednesday May 1, 2002

Two thousand people turned out to greet the Queen as she began her national jubilee tour at Falmouth in Cornwall today.

The 15-week tour, which will take in regions throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will enable the Queen to thank the nation for its loyalty, Buckingham Palace said.

During a breezy tour around Falmouth harbour, the Queen held onto her hat as she stood at the helm of a new lifeboat she had just named.

The crew of HMS Cornwall stood to attention as her boat passed and children aboard the training ship Prince William, named after her grandson, stood on the rigging and cheered.

Pleasure boats followed in the Queen's wake as she docked at the Prince of Wales pier where a crowd had gathered to greet her.

The Queen, accompanied by Prince Philip, will travel to Truro later today where she will mark the 125th anniversary of the diocese at the cathedral. The day will conclude with a reception held by Devon county council, after which the royal couple will return to Taunton.

Today's celebrations also include the opening of an exhibition at Kensington Palace displaying dresses worn by the Queen, the Queen Mother and Queen Victoria.

However, the tour has been overshadowed by reports that groups opposed to the monarchy plan to disrupt this summer's events, and the findings of an ICM survey for the Daily Mirror newspaper and GMTV, which claimed that 53% of those surveyed thought the Queen should abdicate within the next five years.

The Movement Against the Monarchy (MAM) plan to start their protests with an anti-jubilee street party in KENNINGTON in south London on June 1, and a "warm welcome" for the Queen when she visits Wales on June 11, where there will be "plenty of music, debate, videos, drinking and poetry," according to the group's website.

The jubilee tour continues with a two-day visit to the north east, starting on May 7. It will conclude on August 5 in Lancashire. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002

(posted 8001 days ago)

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