As part of HRH Queen Elizabeth II's whirlwind Canadian visit, a stop-off was made this morning at the historic St. James Cathedral in Toronto (King St. x Church St.) where she and husband Philip attended an 11 AM service.
Thousands lined the streets, with some lining up as early as 5 AM to catch a glimpse of the 84 year-old Monarch. Arriving just before 11 AM, HRH had received a welcome round of applause from on-lookers. It is said that to gain a spot at today's service, tickets had to have been purchased well in advance and Photo ID had to have been verified on-site before guests could gain entry. In fact, the only thing differentiating the occasion between the Royal Visit and a Rock Concert was that there was no applause after the Hymns heard from the Church.
Of course, it was virtually impossible to get close to HRH as she did a short walk-around towards Jarvis St. before borading her Town Car to watch The Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack later today. She will be returning to Toronto again Tuesday for a send-off at Queen's Park, site of last night's Cyndi Lauper concert. I will try to get some better shots then. But in the meantime, enjoy these pictures of HRH looking a pixilated Vision in Turquoise and also Premier Dalton McGuinty who attended today's service with his wife Terri. After meeting McGuinty and studying his face up-close I actually think that he looks like Mad Men's Jon Hamm. A little?
Check out some more photos below:
(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI really like your photos and write up of the Queen's visit. May I use some of it in my artwork please?