LONDON — It’s been billed as the party of all parties, a star-studded four-day celebration of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch for her 96th birthday and 70 years on the throne.
But the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, which has snarled traffic around Buckingham Palace, given Britons an extra-long weekend and will offer up performances by American, Irish and British stars — Diana Ross and Alicia Keys among them — has also underlined the question of what happens next for a monarchy seemingly inseparable from its aging head.
As wall-to-wall live coverage began Thursday of the Platinum Jubilee — the only one in a royal lineage that stretches back more than 1,200 years — speculation about the monarchy’s future is as rife as the excitement over the military parade, street parties, outdoor concert, service at St. Paul’s Cathedral and other events scheduled through Sunday.
