Skip to content

Olympic Flame passes iconic London landmarks on penultimate day of Olympic Torch Relay

With the sun shining and thousands of people lining the streets, day 69 of the 70-day Relay began in Camden, where Great Britain?s deputy Chef de Mission, Clive Woodward, was the first Torchbearer of the morning. Woodward was also the England rugby coach when they won the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

The Flame then made its way through Islington, the City of London, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster before reaching Hyde Park.

Torchbearers on the day included IOC Member Denis Oswald ? the chairman of the IOC Coordination Committee for London 2012 ? comedian David Walliams, Rugby World Cup-winners Lewis Moody and Lawrence Dallaglio and Paralympian Ade Adepitan.

?I felt really humbled to be a part of it,? said Walliams, who has raised ?8.5m for charity through sporting challenges such as swimming the English Channel. ?This torch and this flame is bigger than anybody out there and there’s something about the spirit and I really got a sense of that running along.?

On its way, the Flame also visited landmarks such as the Olympic Rings in St Pancras Station, St Paul?s Cathedral, the Millennium Bridge and Shakespeare?s Globe Theatre.

At BBC White City, Antoine de Navacelle ? the great grand-nephew of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games ? carried the Flame at the site of the finishing line of the 1908 Olympic stadium.

The Flame then returned to central London, passing Oxford Street, Regents Street, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street and Parliament Square, where it was carried by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who was welcomed by IOC President Jacques Rogge.

The relay then made its way to Buckingham Palace, where it was greeted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, before continuing on to Hyde Park, where a special celebration concert was held, featuring performances by Dizzee Rascal, The Wanted, Mark Ronson and Katy B.

Find out more about the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners.

Find out more about the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay