This year marked the 800th time for the Lord Mayor's Inaugural Parade! The 1 1/2 hour procession left the Mansion House via St. Paul's Cathedral, wound through many streets to the Royal Courts of Justice where he was sworn in, and then continued through several more roads and finished back to Mansion House. Crowds of people lined each of those roads to watch and cheer with Union Jack flags waving.
History has it that King John grudgingly relented to public pressure one year and issued a royal charter that allowed the City of London to elect its own mayor. That was the same year the Magna Carta was signed! But the stipulation was that every year, the Lord Mayor had to travel to Westminster and swear his allegiance to the crown. Eight hundred years and 34 kings and queens later, the ceremony continues to be observed! This year, we joined in!
The day started with a river pageant, complete with water cannons from the fire boats, that floated right past our flat! Later in the day was the parade. It was a spectacle of pomp and show and even though it was a rainy day, citizens turned out in force to enjoy the floats, bands, coaches, robots, military marchers, etc. Word has it more than 7,000 people participated in the parade itself, with oodles more watching. Music echoed down the roads as did the clip clop of horses hooves, and the military marched, British flags waved, people cheered -- it was quite the show! Soggy but special to see!
The fireworks extravaganza planned for that night was cancelled to show respect for the people of Paris, following the terrorist attacks there. Instead, like so many iconic buildings the world over, Tower Bridge was lit up in the colors of France's flag to show support and empathy for their grieving nation.
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