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in Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1997

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The following information is taken from a Buckingham Palace Press release.

THANKSGIVING SERVICE ON THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARRIAGE OF HM THE QUEEN AND HRH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY ON THURSDAY, 20TH NOVEMBER, 1997, AT 11.00 A.M.

ORDER OF SERVICE

Before the service:

The bells of the Abbey church are rung. The service is sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey, with London Brass accompaniment. The organ is played by Martin Baker, Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey. The fanfares are played by the State and Fanfare Trumpeters of the Life Guards, directed by Major Malcolm Torrent. The music is directed by Martin Neary, Organist and Master of the Choristers.

Stephen Le Provost, Assistant Organist of Westminster Abbey, plays music by Henry Purcell (Organist at the Abbey from 1679-95), J S Bach and G F Handel. Martin Baker plays music by Bach and Elgar, concluding with the ``Bridal March'' by Hubert Parry.

A Procession of Visiting Clergy and other Religious Representatives moves to places in the Quire. They include Dr Zaki Bedawi, Director, Muslim College; The Revd Malcolm Weisman, OBE, representing the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth; The Revd Dr Kathleen Richardson, Moderator, Free Church Federal Council; His Eminence George Basil Cardinal Hume, OSB, Archbishop of Westminster; The Right Revd Alexander McDonald, Moderator, General Assembly, Church of Scotland; The Very Reverend Patrick Mitchell, Dean of Windsor; The Revd William Booth, Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal; The Right Revd and Right Honourable Richard Chartres, Dean of the Chapels Royal and The Most Revd and Right Honourable Dr David Hope, KCVO, Lord Archbishop of York and Primate of England and Metropolitan.

They are followed by the Procession of the Archbishop of Canterbury, which moves to the Sacrarium.

The congregation, who have remained seated, then stand for the arrival of members of the Royal Family, who are met at the Great West Door by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster and conducted to their places in the Lantern and Sacrarium.

The service:

A fanfare is sounded and all face the Great West Door for the arrival of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, who are received by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster.

The Very Revd Dr Wesley Carr, Dean of Westminster, then says The Greeting:

``Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, we have gathered both here in your Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, and in our homes, to thank God for your fifty years of married life, and to pray for all who celebrate their anniversary with you. We greet you in the name of the Lord.''

All remain standing to sing the hymn ``Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven'' as Her Majesty and His Royal Highness, together with the Procession of the Collegiate Body, move to places in the Quire and Sacrarium.

The congregation then sits for the reading by Peter Phillips:

``For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and granted in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.''EPHESIANS 3: 14-19

Then all stand to sing ``The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want'' (Psalm 23).

The congregation then sits for the saying of the Prayers of Intercession, begun by Cardinal Hume. He is then followed by Dr Richardson and The Right Revd Alexander McDonald, before Cardinal Hume concludes by leading the congregation in The Lord's Prayer.

All then stand as the choir sings Psalm 100 ``O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands'', composed by Bejamin Britten for St. George's Chapel, Windsor, at the request of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

The congregation remains standing as The Revd Barry Fenton, Precentor of Westminster Abbey, says the first Prayer of Thanksgiving:

``Eternal God, we offer our thanks that through our earthly lives you speak of your eternal life. We rejoice in the wonder of creation, the gift of human life and the many blessings that our relationships bring. Especially this day we give thanks for Elizabeth our Queen, for Philip Duke of Edinburgh, and for all who with them celebrate fifty years of marriage. Renew in them the fruits of your Holy Spirit; that love, joy and peace may abound in the homes of our nation and the Commonwealth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.''

A second prayer is then said by The Revd Jonathan Goodall, Chaplain and Sacrist of Westminster Abbey.

All then kneel while the Choir sings an adaptation by John Newton of 2 Corinthians 13:14, to music composed by Martin Neary for this service. As the Choir sings, the Archbishop of Canterbury stands before Her Majesty and His Royal Highness to say privately A Blessing:

``May God, who has given you fifty years together, of his infinite goodness and mercy continue to bless you and your union. May the Father who created you, the Son who redeems you, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you, preserve and keep you all your days. The Lord with his favour look upon you, and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may so please him in this life, that in the world to come you may have life everlasting. Amen.''

All remain seated as the Choir sings The Anthem, Psalm 47: 1-2 and 5-8, to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, during which representatives of other couples celebrating fifty years of marriage process to the Lantern, where the Archbishop says A Blessing.

All then stand to sing the hymn ``O Thou who came from above, the fire celestial to impart''.

All then sit for The Address by The Most Revd and Right Honourable Dr George Carey, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan.

[The text of the Archbishop's Address can be found on the Archbishop's Web pages, a link to which has been established on the Royal Web site Links Page.]

The congregation then stands to sing the hymn ``Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down''. All remain standing while the Dean says The Blessing. A fanfare, the Golden Fanfare composed by Malcolm Torrent for this service, then heralds the Procession of Her Majesty and His Royal Highness, conducted by the Dean, to the Great West Door, as the congregation sing the National Anthem (arranged by Martin Neary):

``God save our Gracious Queen Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen. Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the Queen.

As the Procession enters the Nave, all sing:

``Thy choicest gifts in store on her be pleased to pour, long may she reign. May she defend our laws, and ever give us cause to sign with heart and voice, God save the Queen.''

London Brass then plays the March from Handel's ``

Scipione'' as the Collegiate Procession moves to the west end of the church and members of the Royal family are conducted to the west end of the church.

Music after the service is the Fanfare by Percy Whitlock and J S Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C, BWV547.

A peal of 5050 Staedman Caters - specially composed by Peter Swift and conducted by David Hilling - is rung on the Abbey bells as Her Majesty and His Royal Highness leave the Abbey.

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