British Corner Celebrates Queen’s Birthday

“The Queen, as a Princess before her coronation, was President of the English Speaking Union (ESU). And her husband, Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was President for 60 years thereafter, a position now held by their daughter Princess Anne. This is why we celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, each year,” said Marina Tsitsishvili, President of ESU Georgia and owner of The British Corner language centre.

Special guests Ambassador of the UK to Georgia, Alexandra Hall Hall, and Peter Nasmyth, author of a number of well known books on the Caucasus and a member of the British Georgian Society, were invited to enjoy the special presentations put on by the children of the British Corner language centre in Vake Park.

A beautiful rendition of the British National Anthem by a group of Georgian middle-schoolers (who had learnt the words in just three days!) was followed by brilliant excerpts of two scenes of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by four upper-school students, one of whom- Giorgi- wishes to take up a career as an actor. Then came dancing and a generous barbecue and buffet.

The ESU works principally with young people, providing opportunities for them to build skills and gain experiences in order to realise their full potential. The ESU runs a wide range of educational and cultural programmes, from scholarships for school leavers to speech training and competitions involving hundreds of schools in the UK and internationally.

“Her Royal Highness the Queen is still very much involved in the ESU and she has been the patron since 1952,” said Mrs. Tsitsishvili, standing with a broad smile before a portrait of the Queen in the summer garden of the language centre, surrounded by happy faces and British flags. “We have been celebrating her birthday in Georgia every year since 1998. It would be so nice if the Queen knew that she was so admired each year, in a tiny corner of small Georgia!”

Katie Ruth Davies