It was a service of thanksgiving for an absent Queen, a St Paul’s Cathedral celebration to mark the longest reign of any British monarch. But the person to whom it was dedicated was far away at Windsor Castle, forced to watch on television, indisposed by the mobility problems that have plagued her jubilee year.
Senior royals, parliamentarians and diplomats joined 400 members of the public honoured for key roles they have played in their communities in the 2,000-strong congregation to celebrate the 70-year reign of the Queen, a lover of horses whose time on the throne, they heard, reflected “the distance of Aintree more than the sprints of Epsom”.
The service was designed to be the spiritual heart of the platinum jubilee, so the Queen, 96, a committed Christian and the supreme governor of the Church of England, would have been loth to miss it. It was later confirmed that the Queen would also not attend the Epsom Derby on Saturday.
But on Friday, members of her family were out in force. They included the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, seen in public with other members of the royal family for the first time since their controversial exit from royal duties and decampment to the US more than two years ago.
A smiling Harry and Meghan arrived by car at the great west door, shortly after a long line of many other royals had been disgorged from a coach to file inside.
The couple were greeted by huge cheers from the crowd outside as they walked, hand in hand, up the cathedral’s steps. Here at the Queen’s specific invitation, they chatted with a line of clergy. Then, still hand in hand, they walked to their seats as the eyes of the congregation craned to see them.
They were seated in the second row from the front, squeezing past Harry’s cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and their respective husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, to get to their seats.
The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived last, to take part in the official procession through the cathedral before taking up seats at the front.
This was a service of deputies, Charles deputising for his mother, and the archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, called on to deliver the sermon in place of the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who was indisposed through Covid. The Duke of York, also due to be there, was also ruled out by Covid.
Boris Johnson read from the New Testament. As he and his wife, Carrie, had arrived at the cathedral, loud boos could be heard from the crowd gathered outside. Others in attendance included cabinet ministers, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, former prime ministers, and first ministers of the devolved governments. Key workers, charity volunteers and members of the armed forces were invited in recognition of their contributions to public life.
Cottrell had earlier described his last-minute gig as “slightly terrifying” but said he would treat it as any other sermon. He would have been hastily redrafting after the announcement on the eve of the service that the Queen would miss it, having experienced “some discomfort” during trooping the colour on Thursday.
He praised the Queen as an example of “staunch constancy and a steadfast consistency; a faithfulness to God, an obedience to a vocation that is a bedrock of her life”.
Drawing on the Queen’s well-documented love of horse racing, he told the congregation: “I don’t have any great tips for the Derby tomorrow, but since the scriptures describe life as a race set before us, let me observe that her long reign reflects the distance of Aintree more than the sprints of Epsom. Certainly, less dressage than most people imagine. But with an endurance, through times of change and challenge, joy and sorrow, she continues to offer herself in the service of our country and the Commonwealth.
He added: “Your Majesty, we’re sorry you’re not with us this morning in person, but you are still in the saddle. And we are all glad that there is still more to come. So, thank you for staying the course.”
His words were greeted with smiles from the royals present.
In some way this seemed like the long goodbye, as it is clear now, from the many cancelled engagements so far, that the Queen’s physical presence at public engagements can no longer be taken for granted.
One of the country’s largest bells, the Great Paul, was rung before the service and after, for the first time on a royal occasion.
As the service ended, the congregation filed out, past the spot on the steps outside where another queen once had her diamond jubilee service. Queen Victoria, 78, was too frail to attend the grand state service inside the building, so a short second service was conducted on the steps outside while she sat in her carriage.
