Children's Party at the Palace

Last updated

"Ladies and gentlemen, and children everywhere. As has been so evident this afternoon British children's literature has been for many years an extraordinary success story and I am glad that we have been able to celebrate this great achievement here at Buckingham Palace."

Contents

—Queen Elizabeth II, 2006. [1]

The Children's Party at the Palace was an event organised by Peter Orton of Hit Entertainment and David Johnstone of DJI consult, held in the Garden at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2006 in honour of the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The event, which had the theme of British children's literature, was attended by 2,000 children and 1,000 adults [2] who were chosen through a national ballot. [3] On arrival, all guests received a purple hamper with snacks put together by Jamie Oliver. [4]

For the occasion, the palace grounds were transformed into scenes from children's books, including places like the Hundred Acre Wood, with 80 costumed characters and a model of the BFG sitting at a huge piano. [4] The grounds also had an authors' corner, where authors like J. K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, Eric Hill and Raymond Briggs read from their books and signed autographs. [5]

The Queen's Handbag

The main attraction of the party was a pantomime-style play called The Queen's Handbag, written by children's author and playwright David Wood and directed by Trevor Nunn, [6] which was performed on a stage resembling Buckingham Palace and broadcast live on both BBC One and the CBBC Channel.

In the play, the villains of children's literature are angry to find out none of them have been invited to the party, so they decide to ruin the party for the goodies too. After multiple failed attempts, one of them manages to steal the Queen's handbag. Without its contents (her reading glasses) the Queen won't be able to deliver her closing speech. Multiple scenes of the play, including a scene starring Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts that was filmed during production of the Order of the Phoenix film, were pre-recorded and played on large video screens. [7]

The play ended with a rendition of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" by the entire cast, led by the London company of the musical Mary Poppins . Throughout the programme, the audience was kept up to date about the status of the missing handbag with reports from both BBC News and Crimewatch. The use of a fake newsflash caused complaints to be made to the BBC. [8]

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. K. Rowling</span> British author and philanthropist (born 1965)

Joanne Rowling ; born 31 July 1965), better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote Harry Potter, a seven-volume fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has sold over 600 million copies, been translated into 84 languages, and spawned a global media franchise including films and video games. The Casual Vacancy (2012) was her first novel for adults. She writes Cormoran Strike, an ongoing crime fiction series, under the alias Robert Galbraith.

The British royal family comprises King Charles III and his close relations. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is a part of the royal family. Members often support the monarch in undertaking public engagements, and pursue charitable work and interests. Members of the royal family are regarded as British and world cultural icons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roald Dahl</span> British writer and poet (1916–1990)

Roald Dahl was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. Dahl has been called "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh</span> Member of the British royal family (born 1965)

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest sibling of King Charles III.

<i>The BFG</i> 1982 childrens novel by Roald Dahl

The BFG is a 1982 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. It is an expansion of a short story from Dahl's 1975 novel Danny, the Champion of the World. The book is dedicated to Dahl's oldest daughter, Olivia, who had died of measles encephalitis at the age of seven in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Louise Windsor</span> Member of the British royal family (born 2003)

Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor is the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. She is a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, and the youngest niece of King Charles III. Born 8th in line to the British throne, she is now 16th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherman Brothers</span> American songwriting duo

The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of brothers Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman. Together they received various accolades including two Academy Awards and three Grammy Awards. They received nominations for a Laurence Olivier Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 1976, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the National Medal of the Arts in 2008.

The Big Read was a survey on books carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, where over three-quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel. The year-long survey was the biggest single test of public reading taste to date, and culminated with several programmes hosted by celebrities, advocating their favourite books.

<i>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</i> (film) 2005 film by Mike Newell

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy film directed by Mike Newell from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by J.K. Rowling. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter film series. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively. Its story follows Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts as he is chosen by the Goblet of Fire to compete in the Triwizard Tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard M. Sherman</span> Musical artist

Richard Morton Sherman is an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "the Sherman Brothers were responsible for more motion picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert B. Sherman</span> American songwriter (1925–2012)

Robert Bernard Sherman was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any other songwriting team in film history. Some of their songs were incorporated into live action and animation musical films including Mary Poppins, The Happiest Millionaire, The The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper and the Rose, and Charlotte's Web. Their best-known work is "It's a Small World " possibly the most-performed song in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Baker</span> British television presenter (born 1977)

Matthew James Baker is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show Blue Peter from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's Countryfile since 2009 and The One Show from 2011 to 2020, with Alex Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Raworth</span> English journalist, newsreader and broadcaster (born 1968)

Sophie Jane Raworth is an English journalist, newsreader and broadcaster working for the BBC. She is a senior newsreader and is one of the main presenters of BBC News. She has been a television presenter for state occasions and has also presented the BBC's Election Night coverage, alongside other presenters.

<i>Harry Potter</i> Fantasy literature series by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's conflict with Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic, and subjugate all wizards and Muggles.

<i>Chitty Chitty Bang Bang</i> 1968 British-American musical-fantasy film by Ken Hughes

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, Benny Hill, James Robertson Justice, Robert Helpmann, Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall. The film is based on the 1964 children's novel Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming, with a screenplay co-written by Hughes and Roald Dahl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlett Strallen</span> English actress (b. 1982)

Scarlett Aimee Vaigncourt-Strallen is an English stage actress, best known for her work in musical theatre productions in the West End and on Broadway. She has received two Olivier Award nominations, in 2006 for her portrayal of Josephine in an adaptation of H.M.S. Pinafore, performed at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and in 2012 for her role in Singin' in the Rain. Strallen is also a former voice actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personality and image of Elizabeth II</span> Public depiction of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

The image of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth from 1952 to 2022, was generally favourable throughout her years as a reigning monarch. Conservative in dress, she was well known for her solid-colour overcoats and matching hats, which allowed her to be seen easily in a crowd. She attended many cultural events as part of her public role. Her main leisure interests included horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh corgis. She ate jam sandwiches every day since childhood. Some of her other favorite foods were fish and chips, chocolate perfection pie, scones with jam and clotted cream, salmon from the River Dee and Morecambe Bay potted shrimp. Her views on political issues and other matters were largely subject to conjecture. She never gave a press interview and was otherwise not known to discuss her personal opinions publicly.

Caroline Sheen is a Welsh actress who has played leading roles on stage in the West End alongside TV and film appearances. She won a Helen Hayes award for playing the role of Mary Poppins on the National Tour of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platinum Party at the Palace</span> Music concert held outside Buckingham Palace, commemorating Queen Elizabeth IIs platinum jubilee

The Platinum Party at the Palace was a British music concert, held outside Buckingham Palace on The Mall in London on 4 June 2022, in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The concert began at 20:00 (BST). Comedian Lee Mack served as host for the event while the Queen appeared with Paddington Bear in a pre-recorded comedy segment, which showed her offering tea to Paddington, pulling a marmalade sandwich from her handbag and tapping her tea cup to the beat of "We Will Rock You". Prince William spoke about the state of the natural world and pointed out his family's involvement with tackling environmental issues, while the Prince of Wales gave the closing speech and paid tribute to his mother's "lifetime of selfless service". Pre-taped messages of tribute from Sir Paul McCartney and former US First Lady Michelle Obama were also played during the event.

References

  1. ↑ "A speech by The Queen at the Children's Literature Garden Party". Royal.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Kids win invite to palace party", Newsround report. (last updated 24 May 2006; Retrieved 13 July 2006)
  3. ↑ "Palace gets ready for kids' party", Newsround report. (last updated 23 June 2006; Retrieved 13 July 2006)
  4. 1 2 "Queen puts on huge party for kids", Newsround report. (last updated 25 June 2006; Retrieved 13 July 2006)
  5. ↑ "Sophie Dahl Talks Potter and JKR" from Mugglenet.com (posted 24 June 2006; Retrieved 13 July 2006)
  6. ↑ Stars and children to gather at Buckingham Palace for the party of lifetime (published 11 June 2006; Retrieved 13 July 2006)
  7. ↑ "Potter stars cast in Queen's play", Newsround report. (last updated 13 June 2006; Retrieved 13 July 2006)
  8. ↑ Horrocks, Peter (26 June 2006). "Spoof newsflash". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.