PLATINUM JUBLIEE

PLATINUM JUBLIEE The countdown is on!

by Caroline-Artemis Laspas

Jubilees’ have been around for a very long time. They began back in 1300AD with the Roman Catholic Church celebrating every 25th year as a time for forgiving sins and reconciliation. The last one was in 2000.

King George III was the first British monarch to celebrate 50 years on the throne in 1809. There was a church service, a grand fete, fireworks and a procession through London as well as a thanksgiving dinner at Mansion House (still used today for various key dinners and events). A Royal Jubilee marks the reign of a Monarch and is often celebrated around the world. Only a few British Monarchs has achieved 50 years of reign, while a Golden Jubilee is very rare!

The main Jubilee milestones are: Silver jubilee, 25th anniversary; Ruby jubilee, 40th anniversary; Golden jubilee, 50th anniversary; Diamond jubilee, 60th anniversary; Sapphire jubilee, 65th anniversary and the Platinum jubilee, for a 70th anniversary.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has celebrated all these key moments of her reign with the last being a forthcoming national weekend of thanks and celebration for her service and dedication to her country and the commonwealth. She celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee was the most recent in 2012.

Queen Victoria was the next Monarch to reach a Golden Jubilee, celebrated in 1887. It involved a Royal banquet at Buckingham Palace in the presence of 50 foreign kings, princes, and heads of state from the British overseas colonies. There was also a very long procession through London escorted by the Indian cavalry, with Queen Victoria riding in a gilded State landau, drawn by 6 cream-coloured horses. The finale was an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace waving to cheering crowds. The evening saw a huge firework display in the grounds of the Palace.

King George III

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was in 1897 with a service at St Paul's Cathedral, followed by a procession through London, back to Buckingham Palace. She wrote in her diary "No one ever, I believe, has met with such an ovation as was given to me, passing through those 6 miles of streets . . . The cheering was quite deafening & every face seemed to be filled with real joy. I was much moved and gratified."

Queen Elizabeth II’s reign has always been a national moment for thanks, celebration and reflection. The country comes together to focus on its national identity and unity.

The Silver Jubilee: In 1977 there were various events held across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, including the lighting of a chain of bonfire beacons, starting at Windsor and spreading across the United Kingdom.

The Queen wished to see as many people as possible in this special year and so carried out 6 Jubilee tours across the United Kingdom and abroad in just 3 months. Official overseas visits were made to Western Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, Canada and the West Indies.

The Queen rode in the Gold State Coach to St Paul's Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving attended by heads of state from around the world and other dignitaries. This was followed by a lunch where Her Majesty declared 'My Lord Mayor, when I was twenty-one I pledged my life to the service of our people and I asked for God's help to make good that vow. Although that vow was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgement, I do not regret nor retract one word of it.'

The Queen then waved to cheering crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Street parties up and down the land took place with communities coming together to celebrate the big occasion.

The final event was a flotilla of boats progressing down the River Thames from Greenwich to Lambeth. The Queen also opened the Silver Jubilee Walkway and the new South Bank Jubilee Gardens. The finale was a firework display, and a procession of lighted carriages, carrying The Queen back to Buckingham Palace.

The Golden Jubilee in 2002 had a focus on 6 jubilee themes: Celebration, Community, Service, Past and future, Giving thanks and Commonwealth.

Again several overseas tours to the Commonwealth were taken by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, as well as around the United Kingdom.

Queen Victoria

The Diamond Jubilee weekend celebrations saw events across the country and Commonwealth.

‘Big Jubilee Lunches’ were held across the United Kingdom to further encourage getting to know your neighbours and to strengthen the community spirit.

The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant saw 1,000 boats sailed up the Thames with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh travelling in the Royal Barge as the centrepiece of the flotilla.

A Diamond Jubilee concert took place outside Buckingham Palace with singers old and new represented. Afterwards, The Queen lit the National Beacon, the start of a network of 2,012 Beacons lit throughout communities and the Commonwealth.

The finale was a service at St Paul’s Cathedral followed by lunch at Westminster Hall, and a Carriage Procession to Buckingham Palace complete with balcony appearance and a RAF Flypast.

In the middle of these milestones, HM The Queen had another very special celebration and achievement… Longest Reigning Monarch!

On 9th September 2015 The Queen became Britain's Longest Reigning Monarch.

The Royal Barge

The Sapphire Jubilee was marked in 2017. The Queen became the first British Monarch to mark their Sapphire Jubilee. With each of these milestones, it a day of sadness for Her Majesty as it is the day her father passed away. To mark this Jubilee, an official photo was released of Her Majesty wearing a collection of sapphire jewellery given to her by her father as a wedding gift in 1947.

This brings us up to date with the countdown to June 2022 and the preparations for the PLATINUM JUBILEE celebrations that will yet again see the nation and commonwealth join together to mark this truly unique and historic moment in history. It will be a long time that such a long reign will be marked again purely based on the ages of the Heir and next in line being HRH Prince Charles and his eldest son, HRH Prince William.