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LONDON – British music royalty was set to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II onMonday with a Buckingham Palace concert featuring acts fromthroughout her 60-year-reign. But the queen's husband, PrincePhilip, will miss the concert after being hospitalized with abladder infection. Palace officials said the prince, who will turn 91 on Saturday, wastaken to the King Edward VII Hospital in London from Windsor Castleon Monday as a precaution and will remain under observation for afew days. On Sunday, Philip joined the queen and senior royals on the RiverThames in cold and blustery weather for a pageant in honor ofElizabeth's 60 years on the throne The prince, who married then then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947, hascut back on official engagements in recent years but stillmaintains a busy schedule. He spent four nights in the hospitalover Christmas after suffering chest pains and underwent asuccessful coronary stent procedure to clear a blocked artery. He has been at the queen's side during engagements across Britainto mark the jubilee, and appeared in good spirits as he traveleddown the river on a barge Sunday, despite the harsh weather. The palace said Philip was "understandably, disappointed aboutmissing this evening's Diamond Jubilee Concert," as well as a St.Paul's Cathedral service and other jubilee events planned forTuesday. Officials said the queen would still attend the concert, whichfeatures a full hand of knights — Sir Elton John, Sir PaulMcCartney, Sir Cliff Richard and Sir Tom Jones — along withDame Shirley Bassey, Stevie Wonder and younger artists includingJLS, Kylie Minogue and Will.i.am. Younger royals, including Princes William and Harry, are also dueto watch the show, on specially erected stage outside the palace. The monarch's own musical tastes are a mystery, and the PressAssociation news agency reported she brought a pair of earplugs toa similar concert a decade ago. According to The Guardiannewspaper, the only song the queen has ever been known to requestis "Some Enchanted Evening" from the Rodgers and Hammersteinmusical "South Pacific." "It may not be that pop or rock is her favorite music, but she hascertainly supported us over the years and in return of course wehave supported her," said Cliff Richard, who had his first hit in1959. "I think she'd probably rather go and see an opera." Before the concert, 12,000 contest winners and charity workersenjoyed a jubilee concert in the palace grounds. Each received ahamper containing a meal — partly created by experimentalchef Heston Blumenthal — of tea-smoked Scottish salmon,coronation chicken and strawberry crumble crunch made with fruitfrom the queen's Sandringham estate. The jubilee was being marked around the world in members of the54-nation Commonwealth of former British colonies. The small Pacific island nation of Tonga claimed the honor oflighting the first of more than 4,200 commemorative beacons to beset alight in Britain and abroad. The queen will light the finalbeacon following the concert. One beacon will be lit in Kenya at the Treetops Hotel, whereElizabeth was informed of her father's death in 1952, making herthe queen. "We set out to have 2,012 beacons, which would have been the mostever for this type of occasion," said Bruno Peek, pageant master ofthe Queen's Diamond Jubilee beacons. "To have reached double thatfigure reflects the national and worldwide respect and affectionfor the queen and the desire to celebrate her 60-year reign." After a drizzly, gray start, the weather looked up Monday, with aforecast of some sunshine by the time the concert starts. Despitethreatening weather that turned to heavy downpours, more than 1million people are estimated to have turned out Sunday to watch thequeen's barge lead a 1,000-boat flotilla down the Thames. Six participants in the pageant were treated in hospitals forexposure to the cold and wet, and medics attended to about 40spectators along the river. Margaret Watson, 73, in the crowd near Buckingham Palace on Monday,remembered watching the Coronation on the television set which herfamily bought especially to watch the event. "I am here to say thank you to the queen for all she has done,"said Watson, who came to London from Yorkshire with family members."I am just so pleased to have lived through her reign." Others were less happy to have lived through the rain. "I have run out of dry clothes and my sleeping bag is soakedthrough. My tent is ruined," said Chris Wittington, 46, fromsuburban Essex county, near London. "But apart from that, it hasbeen excellent." "Whether you believe in the monarchy or not, this is justfantastic," said Beverley Clements, 44, who was with 37-year-oldsister Harriet Poppleton. "There may not be much to celebrate atthe moment, but there is a great sense of Britishness here at themoment." Exercising her royal prerogative, the queen is expected to attendonly part of the concert. Elton John is set to perform "Your Song," 'I'm Still Standing" and"Crocodile Rock." Tom Jones will pose the question, "Why? Why?Why?" in the song "Delilah," while Annie Lennox will sing "ThereMust Be An Angel." Ska band Madness is expected to perform "Our House" on the palaceroof, evoking a similar appearance at a Golden Jubilee concert 10years ago by Brian May of Queen. Kylie Minogue and Stevie Wonder will play a medley of greatesthits, and Paul McCartney will play "Live and Let Die," his JamesBond theme. American soprano Renee Fleming will perform with theBBC Concert Orchestra. The 262 residents of the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan deCunha, a British territory 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from anyother land, are combining their Jubilee beacon with someenvironmentally conscious gardening. They are lighting their firewith invasive species including the New Zealand Christmas Tree,loganberry and other alien plants. "You don't get more patriotic than saving U.K. wildlife on thequeen's Jubilee, so we decided to make the occasion by lighting abeacon made from all the plants we remove," chief islander IanLaverollo said. ___ Associated Press Writer Robert Barr contributed to this report. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Turbocharger Spare Parts , Gas Inlet Casing, and more. For more , please visit Turbocharger Rotor today!
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