5 things – Queen Special Edition
As we affectionately remember the life of Great Queen Elizabeth II, we’re taking a step back this week to reflect on the joy she brought to the world. Whether it was at the opening of an event, or cutting a celebratory cake.
Lest we forget that her sad passing has impacted the content marketing agency world, and it would be remiss not to mention how brands and media owners have been impacted by this too. Rightfully so, advertising campaigns have been halted, websites pay tribute to her life, and even JCDecaux offered their digital marketing space to portraits of the Queen during the first 24hrs of her death. Never before has the marketing landscape been so quick to respond, reminding us of the digital times we live in and great affection we all hold dear to The Queen.
Here are five touching moments we remember fondly.
1. The Queen meets Paddington Bear
Earlier this summer, the country came together to celebrate Her Majesty’s accession to the throne and 70 dutiful years on it. Pomp and ceremony was in full-flow with celebrations up and down the country. This culminated in an epic street party outside Buckingham Palace, with a roll-call of stars in attendance. Perhaps the most unassuming and unexpected of these was a soft toy, better known as Paddington Bear.
In a heart-warming two and a half-minute short, we see The Queen enjoying tea with Paddington Bear, as they discuss their shared love of marmalade. In a perfectly timed scene, the Queen admits that she even keeps marmalade sandwiches in her handbag. Finished with her trademark warm smile, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when this was aired on national TV.
2. The time Prince Philip dressed up
She called him her ‘strength and stay’, with a marriage spanning 70 years to the Duke of Edinburgh. In a heart-warming moment so beautifully captured in photography, Prince Philip decided to bring some unexpected cheer, by dressing up a horse guard in full attire. Unable to contain her laughter, this moment is immortalised in the photograph which shows her caught off guard giggling away. You can’t help but smile along.
3. Ceremonial event at The Eden Project
To the delight of onlookers, only last year the Queen was in attendance at The Eden Project in Cornwall, when she was presented with a cake to mark her official birthday. She’s no stranger to ceremonial swords, but perhaps this was the first time we’d seen Her Majesty cut a cake with one!
Reaching for a nearby ceremonial sword, she went straight in to cut a slice without hesitation. When someone said there was a knife available instead, she responded: “I know there is…. this is something that is more unusual.” You can hear in the crowds laughter, at this well-planned photo opportunity takes a comedic turn.
4. Cameo from the Corgi’s during a public appearance
It was supposed to be a moment of reflection, as the Queen was filmed reviewing artwork and mementoes from over the years, in the run up to the Platinum Jubilee. The content intended to be shared on various channels – no-one expected it to go viral. That is until Candy the Corgi made a special appearance.
Joyfully walking over to her, Candy is beautifully captured on camera sniffing out treats. A fond lover of dogs, the Queen is heard saying “I know what you want” before the pup toddles off and our hearts explode!
5. The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
Those who knew her say that the Queen had a wonderful sense of humour. The public were treated to this during one of the best-kept secrets on 27 July 2012, during the opening of the London 2012 Games.
Directed by Danny Boyle, an action-packed sequence featured James Bond at Buckingham Palace accompanying The Queen to the Games. In the now iconic scene, we see Her Majesty say ‘Good Evening Mr Bond’ and walk through the great halls with her adoring Corgis in tow. Boyle later revealed that she originally had no script, and ad-libbed the part perfectly. As we know, the scene continues with Her Majesty (well a stand-in) jumping out of the helicopter before arriving into the opening ceremony to rapturous crowds.
It’s just another example of how she lit up our screens, as well as our lives.
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