The main four-day celebration of the Platinum Jubilee, the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, begins on Thursday in Great Britain. They must be as amazing as their occasion, which is unique not only in this country.
Elizabeth II is not only the longest-reigning in the history of the British, and formerly the English throne, but also the third longest-reigning in world history (among the rulers whose reign dates have been confirmed). Only the King of France, Louis XIV (72 years and 110 days) and the King of Thailand, Rama IX, are ahead of her, but Elizabeth II must overtake this second ruler in mid-June.
In fact, the 70th anniversary of Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne on February 6 has already passed, but just like the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the main festivities have been moved to the beginning of June, giving the best chance of good weather. Additionally, June 2 is the anniversary of the Queen’s coronation in 1953.
Celebrations will begin on Thursday at 10 (11am in Poland) from the special edition Trooping the Color – the annual parade with parade of troops, which takes place in central London to mark the Queen’s birthday. The parade, which includes more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 legionnaires, will depart from Buckingham Palace and pass the Mall’s Representative Avenue at Horse Guards Parade, a parade ground where troops are inspected, before returning to Buckingham Palace. Members of the royal family will watch the start and finish from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as well as an overview of the troops at Horseguards Parade. The show will culminate with a flight over Buckingham Palace with aircraft from the RAF’s Acrobats Squadron – Red Arrows. However, two members of the royal family who for various reasons have withdrawn from active participation in it will be absent from the palace balcony – the Queen’s middle son, Prince Andrew, and her grandson, Prince Harry.
On Thursday evening, the lights will be lit in 2,000 towns, cities and villages in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and the overseas territories. The string of light that was used to communicate is now meant to be a symbol of unity across cities, borders, and countries. This string of lights was lit in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee, and in 1977, 2002 and 2012 – the silver, gold and diamond jubilee of Elizabeth II.
Friday at 11.30 in London Pole Street, Mass of Thanksgiving to the Queen and her Reign. There will be no formal transition to the service, as the Queen has decided she will use the side entrance so as not to go up steep stairs, but before mass begins between at 10:50 the bell of Paul the Great, the largest church bell in the country, begins. This will be the eighth time the sound will appear since the renovation in 2021. Then at 12.25 there will be a concert in Guildhall, the seat of the City of London.
On Saturday, the Queen and other members of the royal family are set to participate in the derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey. The Epsom Derby is the only one of the UK’s top five horse races that none of the King’s horses have won so far. The Queen will be greeted on the track by a class of honor of 40 past and present jockeys.
On Saturday evening, in Buckingham Palace Square, there is the Palace’s Platinum Party, that is, a light concert. During the 2.5-hour concert, among others, Quinn and Adam Lambert, Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Duran Duran, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, Hans Zimmer, and Sam Ryder. The event will be accompanied by a show directed by Andrew Lloyd Webber showing the changes that have taken place in Great Britain during the Queen’s era in the areas of fashion, music, sports and the environment. 22,000 people will be able to watch the concert live in front of Buckingham Palace. People pulled free tickets, 5,000 of which were intended for key employees.
On Sunday, up to 10 million people will participate in one of the 85 thousand. A grand jubilee street lunch is planned across the country, where people will be able to eat and celebrate together. The largest of them will be held in Windsor, where the longest table in the world will be set – with a length of 500 meters. In Windsor there will be, among others, the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward and his wife. In turn, Prince Charles and his wife, heir to the throne, will attend a lunch at London’s cricket ground, The Oval.
The last point of the festivities will be the Jubilee Parade, which begins on Sunday at 2:30 pm and is attended by 10,000 people. Volunteers, dancers, musicians and members of the armed forces. On the 3-kilometre route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, they will tell the story of 70 years of the Queen’s rule. The focal point of this display will be the golden coronation chariot from 1762, the same coronation chariot that Elizabeth II traveled in 1953 for her coronation. The last time the wagon traveled through the streets of London was 20 years ago, during the celebration of the golden jubilee. The presentation will be divided into four parts. The first will be the military parade, the second will focus on changes in culture, fashion and music over the past 70 years, the third will be on the life of the Queen, and the fourth will be Ed’s performance. Sheeran and singing the national anthem together in front of Buckingham Palace.
Due to the health issues the Queen has experienced over the past few months, it is uncertain what events the Queen will attend in person. Buckingham Palace has announced that information on this will be the day before or even the day of the event, but since the Queen has been very active in the past two weeks, it is very likely that she will be attending Trooping the Color, a Mass. in St. Paweł and is also likely to appear in the track stands at Epsom Downs.
From London Bartłomiej Niedziński (PAP)
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