2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony

A general view of the Opening Ceremony from above.

The Red Arrows, the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force, fly over the Olympic Stadium ahead of the Opening Ceremony.

Prince William and wife Catherine await the start of the Opening Ceremony. Two days earlier, they got into the spirit of the Games by playing table tennis and soccer with students at Bacon’s College in London.

Construction on the new Olympic Stadium, site of the Opening Ceremony in London, began in 2008. It is wrapped in fabric made of polyester and polyethylene.

A speedboat carrying international soccer superstar and underwear model David Beckham passes under London’s famed Tower Bridge, carrying the final Olympic torchbearer to the Olympic Standium to ignite the 30th Olympiad’s spectacular opening ceremonies.

Monaco’s Prince Albert II, the son of the late American actress Grace Kelly, and Princess Charlene arrive for the Opening Ceremony of the London Games at the Olympic Stadium on July 27 in London.

Fiery rings, representing both the Olympics and the Industrial Revolution, are lit and lifted during the Opening Ceremony.

Flashy fireworks go off over the Olympic Stadium.

The Opening Ceremony reflected the key themes and priorities of the London 2012 Games, based on sport, inspiration, youth and urban transformation. It was a Ceremony ’for everyone’ and celebrated contributions the UK has made to the world through innovation and revolution, as well as the creativity and exuberance of British people.