Feature

The Queen, Devon and the Platinum Jubilee

In 2022, Her Majesty The Queen has become the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee, after 70 years of service. She is the longest reigning monarch in British history, surpassing Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years.

Queen Elizabeth II has often visited Devon, not least because of its important naval connections and her role as Head of the Armed Forces. However, it was also where she met her future husband, Prince Philip. As the elder daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Elizabeth had no expectation of acceding to the throne, until her uncle, Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 and her father became King George VI. As a 13-year-old princess in 1939, she visited Dartmouth Naval College with her family and was formally introduced for the first time to Prince Philip of Greece, a naval cadet at

the college, providing the first opportunity for them to become acquainted. In 1942, aged 16 she visited HM Naval Base Devonport, with her father King George VI, and four years later, she and Princess Margaret returned as Sea Rangers to visit HMS Duke of York. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip married in 1947, and just four years later King George VI’s health started to deteriorate, leading to his death on 6 February 1952. Elizabeth’s reign started immediately, but as a mark of respect her coronation was not held until 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey. The Queen’s coronation was a day of huge celebration. In Tavistock a full day of events was planned by Tavistock Urban District Council, starting with a floral dance at 9am from Bedford Square and around the town (despite the rain), followed by sports, tea parties, fireworks and finishing with an evening of dancing in the town hall and in Bedford Square. The children’s tea party as reported in The Tavistock Gazette, sounds particularly lively! - “Eleven hundred children attended the tea party in the Market Hall (Pannier Market)… and immediately grace was said there was a rush by two thousand two hundred hands to reach the food all of which was rapidly devoured. The sandwiches were wrapped in cellophane bags and it was not long before one child realised that blowing air into the bag and bursting it produced a loud bang. This was almost immediately followed by the deafening sound of all the other cellophane bags in the Market Hall being burst. Then another child realised the empty cardboard plates had aerodynamic properties and immediately the Hall was filled with eleven hundred banking, diving, soaring, swooping and descending paper plates. Immediately one landed it was thrown again. Councillors, helpers and children were hit by the projectiles.” (You can see the Coronation Day issue of The Tavistock Gazette at Tavistock Museum)

The Queen has often returned to Devon during her reign, visiting the Dartmouth and Torquay area, Exeter, Barnstaple

Brixham 1988, courtesy & © Torquay Museum Queen Elizabeth II at Torquay Town Hall 1956, courtesy &© Torquay Museum

The Queen meets Council Leader Denis Damerell during Silver Jubilee, courtesy & © Torquay Museum

and Plymouth several times. In July 1962, The Queen, accompanied by Prince Philip, opened Plymouth’s new Civic Centre and in 1988 she unveiled the sundial in Armada Way. Her 1977 Silver Jubilee Tour covered Torbay, Exeter, Haldon and Plymouth, including a review of Royal Marines. In 1999, she visited HMNB Devonport and met the legendary Devonport Field Gun Crew; she also returned to Plymouth to visit HMS Ocean several times from 2003 until it was decommissioned in 2018.

The June bank holiday is an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate this historic milestone with community activities, in addition to national celebrations such as: The Queen’s Birthday Parade with 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians; a chain of over 1,500 beacons throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories; The Platinum Party at the Palace bringing together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars; The Platinum Jubilee Pageant combining street arts, theatre, music, and circus as well as the ‘River of Hope’, plus the winner of the Platinum Pudding competition will be announced! The Queen’s 70 years of service are a monumental achievement and communities everywhere have been planning a host of activities to mark the Platinum Jubilee. You can find details in our what’s on list for some of the local events on offer – have a lovely weekend and enjoy the celebrations!

Queen Elizabeth II and the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Royal Parade, 27 July 1962 © The Box, Plymouth

The Queen arrives at Beacon Quay, Torquay to review the fleet July 1969, courtesy & © Torquay Museum