9 May 2002: The Queen and Prince Philip visit East London

Cultural diversity and social harmony were the key celebration themes of The Queen’s day-long visit to East London. The Royal day included a mechanical elephant, a whizz through fifty years of fashion, and a tour of urban allotments.

The day began in Walthamstow, where The Queen arrived by helicopter. At Walthamstow Town Hall, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh watched a fashion show of clothes over the past 50 years. The display was put on by students at Waltham Forest College. After meeting models and the show’s producers, The Queen presented seven Jubilee Youth Award medals to some of the borough’s young achievers.

From matters sartorial it was on to fruit and veg, with a visit to the allotment project in Redbridge Lane, Redbridge. The Queen and Prince Philip viewed some of the plots tended by members of the local community. They chatted to pensioners and met members of the Woodbine Club, which runs a scheme allowing able-bodied and disabled gardeners to work on the allotments together. Some of the food grown on the plots is used for food in a local community cafe. Before leaving The Queen was presented with a basket of garden produce.

In Green Street, Newham, the Jubilee party spirit got underway in spectacular form. A special carnival had been organised to represent every section of the multi-cultural population. The borough is the most ethnically diverse in London. Crowds of thousands lined the streets to watch the procession and see The Queen and Prince Philip travel in the parade in the Royal car.

The Queen was preceded by a tower of flowers drawn by children dressed as horsemen, and a large mechanical elephant made of scrap metal. The elephant is used locally to celebrate not only the Hindu Diwali but also the Christian and Jewish “festivals of light”, Advent and Hanukah. There were also Sikh Dhol drummers, the Bollywood Band, carnival performers in colourful costumes and a traditional East End ‘pearly king’. The Queen was welcomed by Newham’s ceremonial mayor, Councillor Sukdev Singh Marway, Newham’s first directly elected mayor, Sir Robin Wales, and Tony Banks, MP for West Ham. The Festival continued over the following days until the weekend.

The Queen officially opened the first Green Street Festival in Upton Park, cutting a ribbon to release 100 red, white and blue balloons. The Duke of Edinburgh released gold balloons to mark the Golden Jubilee.  

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh then made their way to the grounds of football club West Ham United, where The Queen opened the new stand, unveiling a commemorative plaque. Among the individuals introduced to The Queen was Joe Cole, one of the West Ham players. Earlier that day it had been announced that Mr. Cole would form part of the England national football squad for the World Cup. The Queen congratulated him warmly on his selection.

The Royal party enjoyed lunch in the club’s White Horse Suite, named after the animal who kept order during the 1923 Cup Final. The lunch menu included a Caesar salad and seared tuna for starters, a main meal of fillet of Welsh lamb, and crème brulee for dessert.

After lunch The Queen moved on to a garden party at Eastbury Manor, Barking. Eastbury Manor House is an old building which had played a small part in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605; it now serves as an arts and heritage centre.

While The Queen attended the garden party, The Duke of Edinburgh paid a visit to the University of East London’s Docklands Campus. Among those Prince Philip met were industrial design students and staff, students and staff from the School of Art and Design, and local Gold Award winners.

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