Celebrating The Queen’s PLATINUM JUBILEE 2022

Celebrating The Queen’s

By Sarah Ridgway

Credit: Shaun Jeffers / Shutterstock.com

2022 marks a monumental occasion for the Queen who marks an incredible 70 years of service and is the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.

The historic milestone will be celebrated across the United Kingdom over an especially extended four-day bank holiday weekend, from June 2nd to Sunday 5th June.

Expect lots of public events and a street party or two and don’t forget to purchase a special souvenir to commemorate the occasion. For the accomplished bakers, the Queen has also launched a competition in collaboration with royal favourite

Fortnum & Mason to create the perfect Platinum Pudding recipe. UK residents aged 8 and over are invited to take part, with Mary Berry on the judging panel the pressure is on to find the perfect Platinum Pudding fit for the Queen. Thursday 2nd June will host The Queen’s Birthday Parade-Trooping the Colour) over 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will mark the Queen’s 96th birthday in spectacular fashion. Last year the Queen’s official Birthday June parade was a scaled-back version so it will be wonderful to welcome back the crowds of well-wishers. This momentous occasion is tinged with sadness as the Queen will celebrate it without her beloved husband of 73 years, the Duke of Edinburgh who died last April.

Prince Phillip’s 100th birthday which would have taken place on 10 June 2021, instead, the Queen enjoyed lunch at Windsor Castle with close family but still issued a public statement thanking the public including the touching sentiment below:

“My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.” An Impressive Birthday

The Platinum Jubilee falls alongside the Queen’s 96th Birthday, an interesting fact many might not be aware of is the Queen has two birthdays her actual birthday is on April 21, but June is when the official celebrations happen.

The tradition of two birthdays was started by King George II in 1978, because if a British monarch’s birthday is not in the summer, then they are required to have a second official birthday. The King’s birthday fell in November, and he wanted to ensure good weather for the trooping of the Colour parade so added an extra summer date. The Queen’s official birthday celebrations in the UK are usually commemorated on the second Saturday of June and the parade has marked the official birthday of the British monarchy for over 260 years.

The Queen’s official birthday celebrations traditionally begin in the morning with the Trooping of the Colour which many of the Royal family members attend. The military parade dates to the 17th Century and is performed by more than 1,400 soldiers, including 200 horses and 400 musicians. The participants make up “the Household Division’’ which is one of the oldest regiments of the British army. The colours are a

Credit: Lorna Roberts / Shutterstock.com

display of different regiments of the British army. Once the Queen leaves Buckingham Palace in a carriage the parade will officially begin. The parade then goes along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and then returns. The Queen is welcomed by a Royal salute and then proceeds to inspect the troops. After the military bands have finished performing the Regimental flag is processed down the ranks of soldiers. After the Foot Guards have marched past, The Queen carriage returns to Buckingham Palace at the head of the soldiers before taking a salute again at the Palace from a dais. The Queen and members of the Royal family then gather on the balcony at Buckingham Palace followed by a 41gun salute in Green Park and enjoy a thrilling air show by the RAF’s display team the Red Arrows.

Queen Elizabeth attended her first Trooping of the Colour in 1947 as a young princess and rode in on horseback behind her father. The only time she has missed the parade was when it was cancelled in 1955 due to a national rail strike. At the 1981 parade, a 17-year boy shot blanks at the Queen as she rode by, but the resilient monarch still decided to finish the parade. Up until 1987 the Queen attended the parade on horseback and rode her beloved horse Burmese for 18 years who was a gift from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Queen’s love for horses began as a child and she grew up around them. Her first riding lesson took place at Buckingham Palace aged four on a Shetland pony named Peggy.

The Queen is often spotted riding without a hard hat, preferring a silk scarf instead. When asked why she said, ‘I never have, and you don’t have to have your hair done like I do.’ During the lockdown, the Queen continued to ride and was often seen on the grounds of Windsor riding her horse. A Remarkable Life

Queen Elizabeth II is the longestreigning British monarch and has led a remarkable life. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on April 21st, 1936 to parents the Duke and Duchess of York, her father would later be King George VI. When WW2 broke out in 1939 Princess Elizabeth was just 13 years old. She and her sister Princess Margaret were evacuated to Windsor Castle. Despite being so young Princess Elizabeth was reported to have asked her father if she could enlist but would wait five years until she could join the war effort. In 1944 Princess Elizabeth turned 18 and again insisted on joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service, which is the women’s branch of the British Army. It was normal for unmarried women under 30 to join the armed forces but not a young princess. Despite her royal status, her father ensured she was not given a special rank in

the Army. Princess Elizabeth began as the second subaltern and was later promoted to Junior Commander which is equivalent to captain. In March 1945 she began training as a mechanic, she also took a driving and vehicle maintenance course at Aldershot. Once she qualified the newspapers dubbed her “Princess Auto Mechanic”. When the war ended in 1945 thousand took to the streets to celebrate, dressed in her ATS uniform the Princess and her sister secretly joined the crowds on the streets. The Queen later told the BBC she was so terrified of being spotted that she pulled her uniform cap over her eyes to avoid detection. There are reports that the young princesses joined a conga dance through the Ritz Hotel. The Queen later said, “I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life.”

In 1939 a handsome 18-year-old cadet caught the eye of the 13-yearold Princess at Dartmouth Naval College. Thus began an enduring friendship and she and Prince Phillip exchanged letters during the war and kept a picture of him in her room. In 1947 after Elizabeth’s 21st Birthday despite the prince not being the King’s first choice the couple’s engagement was announced. They married in 1947 at Westminster Abbey in front of 2000 guests. Their eldest son Prince Charles was born a year later, Princess Anne in 1950, 10 years later in 1960 Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward in 1964. On 6 February 1952, the young couple’s relatively normal was about to change forever when King George VI died aged just 56 and Princess Elizabeth only 25 years old. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place the following year on 2 June 1953 was watched by over 20 million on television around the world. The duke was a huge support to his wife in her role as head of state and he accompanied her to as many events as he could where they would often be spotted sharing a joke. They worked well together, and the duke said the strength of their relationship was having time apart saying, “It’s the secret of a happy marriage to have different interests.” The Queen liked to spend time with her dogs and horses while Prince Philip enjoyed running the family estates.

Credit: Chris Allan / Shutterstock.com

In 2012 Prince Harry noted his grandparent’s relationship: “Regardless of whether my grandfather seems to be doing his own thing, sort of wandering off like a fish down the river - the fact that he’s there, personally, I don’t think she could do it without him.”

Prince William also noted, “He makes her laugh because some of the things he says and does and the way he looks at life is obviously slightly different than her, so together they’re a great couple.”

In 2017 the duke retired from public service and other members of the Royal family would accompany the Queen on her official duties. The duke liked to spend much of his time at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Although, during the pandemic, the pair chose to shield together at Windsor Castle which would have allowed the couple to spend more time than ever together which is a touching sentiment to their 73-year marriage. On 29 March the Queen joined family members at Westminster Abbey for a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh to celebrate his life, making it even more poignant in June when the country will celebrate the incredible life and achievements of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

The life of Di

A monthly column by Di Wade, the author of ‘A Year In Verse’

LIFE’S A PRICELESS RIGMAROLE

Not sure if life’s always been a priceless rigmarole and I’ve somehow never noticed – not impossible given I wasn’t always grumpy old womanhood personified. However, it’s indubitably one nowadays, and on balance I’m inclined to blame modern influences: I certainly remember a time when an unwanted phone call meant nothing worse than a careless dialler, or one’s aunty phoning in the middle of the rugby. I also remember when turning on the TV produced fewer warnings than a cockpit manned by Frank Spencer - in the teeth of a raging hurricane: If we’re not being warned that crime dramas contain scenes of violence, (well hey, and there one was expecting tips on Lepidoptera and flower-arranging), it’s that the Good Karma Hospital contains scenes of surgery, (not crocheting? Who knew), or else that the likes of Grantchester reflect the language and attitudes of the time, (so not our studious political correctness? Bring on the smelling salts)..

Even news reports from warzones are now preceded by warnings of scenes disturbing – as opposed perhaps to Paula Guerin tiptoeing through the tulips reciting Enid Blyton? Both quantitatively and qualitatively, it’s astonishing what we need warning about these days- but then it’s astonishing what needs to go into any process – which tends to resemble a cross between Hampton Court Maze, and the Grand National. I phoned my electricity company the other day to ask if they could quit sending me unannounced meterreaders, who with my eyesight could be anyone but the queen of Sheba - so they were stopping on the front step: I could fetch a friend or family member round to read the meter for me, then duly phone it in, or if absolutely necessary, I’d submit to an expert doing it, provided I knew when they were coming. A complete and unannounced stranger however was no more getting let in than the big bad wolf, though they huffed and puffed themselves silly - and flashed everything but the kitchen sink at me. The woman seemed to get it, said she’d cross me off the list, that they could contact me when they needed a meter-reading - and then spoilt everything by concluding that if the van was in the area, the guys might come round anyway. Well so much for that. Had I not made it clear what wouldn’t happen if they did, and that this, moreover, was surer than a computer “update” causing everything thereafter to zip along at roughly the speed of a snail with a serious limp? Anyone would think they didn’t want to save their time – any more than they clearly placed any valuation whatsoever on mine.

It’s not even as if I need any help whatever in the kerfuffle department, being more than capable of creating oodles of the stuff all by myself. Just minutes before I was going out with a friend the other day, I found a leftover Dominos dip from my entertainment of another friend the day before, and which had obviously rolled onto the floor: Which would’ve been fine had I Not found it by stepping on it, causing it to detonate like a bomb, sending garlic and herb dip in all directions, including to be plastered all over my nice smart trousers, the side of the couch, everything thereon, and any carpet in the vicinity. With time only to get changed, and frantically throw a bit of wet kitchen roll around, I felt I’d no choice but to phone my mum and ask if she could come round and take a look for me - not if I wanted to return to a carpet less than permanently sticky, and best suited to warding off vampires. So while I swanned off out for a rare afternoon tea, I was guiltily aware that thanks to me, my mum’s Sunday afternoon had just got a whole lot less sedate and civilized – which wasn’t at all what I’d had in mind – and not the best preparation. The afternoon tea however was both a distraction, and a revelation. Laid on by my friend’s friend, for no other purpose than the enjoyment of her friends, it was like a spread from Alice in Wonderland, though thankfully minus mad hatters, flustered white rabbits, or demented executioners. The desserts in particular equalled pure fairytale on plates - sumptuous chocolate confections with malteesers, coconut creations topped with jelly beans, rich, decadent mousses full of after eight mints. All was delightful, creative, and enchanting, providing in addition a seductive foretaste of Easter. So, in a different way did a trip to Lytham with my parents the next weekend, incorporating spitfires, lakes, sunshine, birdsong, and the truly stunning flowers of Lowther Gardens.

And what both outings had in common was their remarkable freedom from rigmarole.