What is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is a celebration of the historic 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. This will be the first British Monarch to achieve this amount of service to the country; Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne on 6 February 1952, at just 25 years old. The United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and others around the world are invited to come together to celebrate this momentous occasion.
When will the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee take place?
The four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations will be marked from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June 2022, which is also a UK bank holiday weekend.
What events are planned for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?
There are various official events taking place to commemorate this event, such as:
- Thursday 2 June – Trooping the Colour. This official birthday parade for the Queen will feature hundreds of horses, soldiers, and musicians. This will then be followed by a spectacular RAF fly-past, observed by the Royal Family and the Queen herself on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The event is open to the public to attend and will be broadcasted live on TV. The public can also watch the event from St James’ Park, London, on large screens.
- Thursday 2 June – Platinum Jubilee Beacons. This tradition has taken place throughout England’s history, such as Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1987, and in 2016, for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. It will also be taking place to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee; more than 1,500 beacons will be lit in total.
- Friday 3 June – Service of Thanksgiving. This morning service will be taking place at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It will include Bible readings, prayers, hymns, and songs. The largest church bell in England, Great Paul, will ring for the service. This is a private event and not open to the public.
- Saturday 4 June – The Derby at Epsom Downs. Her Majesty The Queen and other members of the Royal Family are planning to attend the Darby Day horse racing at Epsom Downs. This event is available for the public to book and attend.
- Saturday 4 June – Platinum Party at the Palace. Hosts Roman Kemp and Kirsty Young will be taking the public through the live Platinum Party at Buckingham Palace. This is a concert where live musical acts will perform. This event is open to the public with advance booking.
- Sunday 5 June – The Big Jubilee Lunch. The Big Jubilee Lunch aims to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, by encouraging people in comminutes across the country and around the world to get together for street parties, enjoying food, fun, and laughter together. You can sign up to take part here.
- Sunday 5 June – The Platinum Jubilee Pageant. This momentous event will involve 10,000 people, including: military personnel, volunteers, performers, key workers, and the public. This event is designed to help people pay tribute to the Queen, through singing the National Anthem, ‘God Save the Queen,’ as well as watching the Gold State Carriage, which has promised to give people a brilliant surprise.
What is the history of the Queen’s reign?
On 6 February 1952, Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms, after her father, King George VI passed away. Since then, the Queen has become a well respected and much loved figure across the world. The Queen has dedicated her life to the Monarchy: attending and hosting events, leading remembrance services, supporting charities, and encouraging achievements of others. The Queen has fulfilled royal obligations and duties, alongside raising children and welcoming grandchildren into her family. Queen Elizabeth is celebrating a 70-year reign on the throne.
The Queen’s Major Milestones
Since Her Majesty The Queen’s official coronation in 1953, there have been a vast amount of milestones that she has accomplished over the years. Let’s reflect on these memorable moments through a timeline of events:
- The Silver Jubilee. In 1977, the Monarch celebrated her 25th anniversary on the throne. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family celebrated at Windsor, and the rest of the UK and people around the world took part in events over the summertime. The Queen marked this jubilee by going on a tour of the UK and Northern Ireland, meeting her people. Crowds also gathered together to watch Queen Elizabeth’s procession through London, where she was accompanied by Prince Philip in a gilded carriage. It is estimated that 500 million people watched this event on TV.
- The Golden Jubilee. This 2002 event celebrated The Queen’s incredible 50 years reign on the throne. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, also took tours around the UK for this event, as well as visiting other countries, such as: Jamaica, New Zealand, Canada and Australia, to name a few. For the jubilee weekend, there was a classical music concert held at Buckingham Palace, as well as a pop concert which featured artists like Elton John and Paul McCartney. This event ended in a dazzling fireworks display.
- The Queen’s 80th Birthday. For the Queen’s 80th birthday on 21 April 2006, many of the celebrations were held in June, such as the lovely Children’s Party at the Palace. This was a way for the queen to invite 2,000 children to Buckingham Palace, recognising the magic that books hold. There was even a stage performance which was broadcasted on TV, that the Queen herself was involved in.
- The Diamond Wedding Anniversary. The Diamond Wedding Anniversary in 2007 was a time spent celebrating the 60 years of marriage between the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip. A service at Westminster Abbey was held, as well as iconic photos that were recreated from 60 years prior on their honeymoon.
- The Diamond Jubilee. The Diamond Jubilee gave the Queen and other members of the Royal Family more opportunities to meet people all over the UK and overseas. Alongside Prince Philip, the Queen travelled to every region of the UK, and other family members visited countries such as: Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The general public celebrated the event at the Epsom Derby, as well as hosting street parties. A concert also took place at Buckingham Palace, showcasing performers like Grace Jones and Stevie Wonder.
- The Longest Reigning Monarch. 9 September 2015 saw Her Majesty The Queen achieve an incredible milestone, becoming Britain’s Longest Reigning Monarch.
- The Queen’s 90th birthday. The Queen’s 90th birthday was celebrated by herself and the Royal Family in 2016, through multiple events. Not only did Her Majesty walk around the town centre of Windsor, but she also lit the principal beacon; hundreds more beacons were lit up and down the country and overseas to mark this occasion. There was also a significant Birthday Parade that took place, alongside a very special fly-past, where the Queen and other members of the Royal Family observed from the iconic Buckingham Palace balcony.
- The Sapphire Jubilee. In 2017, the Queen became the first British Monarch to reach a Sapphire Jubilee, an occasion celebrating 65 years since rising to the throne. For this occasion, a photo of the Queen wearing sapphire jewellery was released. The Queen decided to spend this day privately at Sandringham Estate.
- The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. This upcoming celebration is set to gather people from different communities together to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 70 years on the throne. Take a read on to find out how you can get involved.
6 quick facts about Queen Elizabeth II
1. Her coronation was held on 2nd June 1953 at Westminster Abbey
Queen Elizabeth II became Queen after the death of her father, King George VI, on 6th February 1952 at the age of 25. At the time, Elizabeth and Prince Philip were in Kenya on tour. After Philip broke the sad news to her, they returned to the UK immediately. Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne was formally proclaimed in countries around the world.
2. She has been served by a massive 14 Prime Ministers
These include Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson and even Winston Churchill!
3. She is the oldest and longest reigning monarch in British history
In September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II initially broke this record, taking the title from Queen Victoria, who reigned for around 63 years and 7 months.
More long-reigning British monarchs include:
- George III – Around 59 years and 3 months
- Henry III – Around 56 years
- Edward III – Around 50 years and 4 months
- Elizabeth I – Around 44 years and 4 months
4. She became a girl guide when she was 11 years old
In fact, when planning her wedding to Prince Philip, the Australian Girl Guides gifted the ingredients for her wedding cake!
5. She’s an incredibly hard-working Queen
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II turned 96 years old and despite this, she works almost every day. Some of her duties include reading letters from the public (sometimes up to 300 a day!), taking visits to important places such as hospitals, and giving out awards. In 1965, she gave MBE medals to The Beatles.
6. She has two birthdays!
The two birthdays of the Queen include her real one, on the 21st of April, and an official celebration of the second Saturday in June each year.
So why is there a celebration on a different date to her birthday? Well, the Queen’s great-grandfather, Edward VII, was King from 1901 to 1910. His birthday was in November, which is not known in the UK for its good weather. That’s why he chose to combine it with an annual military parade in the summer, when there was more chance of the weather being nice.
This tradition has continued, and the Queen’s official birthday is known as Trooping the Colour.
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