Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II - Celebrations Outside The Commonwealth Realms

Celebrations Outside The Commonwealth Realms

Golden Jubilee celebrations took place outside of the Commonwealth realms, such as in New York City, where the pinnacle of the Empire State Building was lit in royal purple and gold, which the city's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and officials at the British consulate said was a sign of thanks both to the Queen for having had the American national anthem played at Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guard on 13 September 2001 and to the British people for their support afterwards. It had been more than 10 years since the Empire State Building gave such an honour to an individual not from the United States; the most recent instance was when Nelson Mandela visited New York after his release from prison in 1990.