Britain's Prince Charles paid tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in a speech on Saturday during celebrations marking her platinum jubilee, saying she had united the nation and was still making history since her accession to the throne 70 years ago.
Prince Charles delivered his speech yesterday evening during a concert that began with a comedy segment shown in a video clip in which the 96-year-old Queen appeared.
The Queen was drinking tea with Paddington the bear before she began tapping into Queen's most famous songs, with which the concert began.
The heir to the British throne gave his speech as the concert in front of Buckingham Palace was nearing its end.
When portraits from the Queen's reign were displayed on the walls, Charles, 73, said the jubilee gave the country the opportunity to say "thank you".
Moments of pride and joy
In front of a crowd - estimated at 22,000, in addition to millions of others who watched the ceremony on television - Prince Charles said: "Your Majesty, you have been with us in our troubled times, as you reunited us to celebrate moments of pride, joy and happiness."
The Queen did not attend the ceremony due to "movement problems" that forced her to apologize for not participating in several engagements recently.
Last Thursday, four days of celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne began with a military parade and another for the Royal Air Force, lighting landmarks across Britain and the world.
The festivities will conclude on Sunday with a performance in which singer Ed Sheeran will join about 10,000 artists and soldiers.
The festivities conclude Sunday with a performance featuring singer Ed Sheeran (Getty Images)
soft power
Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne at the age of 25 after the death of her father, George VI, in 1952, at a time when Britain was suffering from the scourge of World War II, and Winston Churchill was prime minister.
In total, during her reign, the Queen witnessed the assumption of 14 prime ministers, as well as the succession of more than 14 US presidents, the construction of the Berlin Wall and then its fall, and Britain's accession and exit from the European Union.
The Queen also witnessed the disintegration of the once powerful British Empire, then replaced by the "Commonwealth" of 54 countries in which the Queen played a key role in shaping, and many see his success as her greatest achievement.
The queen's supporters see her as a source of soft power in the world and a factor of stability, or as a bridge between the nation's past and its present.