Her Majesty The Queen became the first monarch in British history to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee; an incredible reign of seventy years on the 6th February 2022. As a result, numerous celebrations and events have taken place throughout the year, and a four-day UK bank holiday weekend has been granted from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June.
From Trooping the Colour to street parties across the country, here is everything you need to know about the 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebratory weekend.
Thursday 2nd June
Kicking the celebrations off, a Birthday Parade for the Queen will be held on Thursday 2nd June, starting at 11am. The colour will be trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and over 1,200 soldiers and officers from the Household Division. The parade will begin at Buckingham Palace and move down The Mall to Horse Guard’s Parade, joined by Royal Family Members on horseback and in carriages. During the parade, a Royal Gun Salute will also be fired. It has been confirmed that the Queen will not receive the Trooping the Colour salute this year, and that Prince Charles, Prince William and Princess Anne with receive the salute instead.
To conclude the event, an RAF flypast will take place, with members of the Royal Family watching from the Buckingham Palace balcony. This event will be open to the public for free, and will also be shown live on BBC One and via large screens set up in St James’ Park. The UK’s long tradition of celebrating Royal Jubilees, Weddings and Coronations with the lighting of beacons will continue, and beacons will also be lit in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth nations for the first time ever.
Friday 3rd June
A Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 3rd June. Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will be rung for the Service. A new exhibition: “Jubilee: St Paul’s, the Monarch and the Changing World”, has also been opened at the London cathedral.
Also taking place on Friday is a Jubilee Concert in St George’s Chapel; a celebration in music of this remarkable anniversary on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The programme includes music from around the UK used on royal occasion, written during the Queen’s reign, and premiered at this concert.
Saturday 4th June
During Saturday 4th June, Her Majesty The Queen will attend the Derby at Epsom, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family. This is the only classic in the flat racing calendar the Queen is yet to win. However, Her Majesty’s hopes of winning in time for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations were jeopardized after all three of her horses were withdrawn from the event.
In the evening, the ‘Platinum Party at the Palace’ will take place, which will be staged and broadcast by the BBC. The celebration will see famous faces from the world of entertainment, such as Diana Ross, Sir Elton John, Sir Rod Stewart, and George Ezra to name a few, brought together to perform for a night of musical tributes to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. Around 22,000 people will attend the event, including 10,000 allocated in a public ballot and 5,000 tickets for key workers.
Sunday 5th June
On the last day of the bank holiday weekend, street parties are being planned across the UK, with neighbours expected to join for food and fun in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee. Over 60,000 people have registered to host Big Jubilee Lunches, an event that has been brought back following the success of the first ‘Big Jubilee Lunch’ in 2012 for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. Over 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches are also being planned throughout the Commonwealth.
The final event to take place is the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. The Gold State Carriage, led by The Sovereign’s Escort, will lead the Pageant, serving as an opportunity to gather and pay tribute to the Queen. Whilst the Queen won’t personally travel in the regal Gold State Carriage, there will be a fabulous surprise. Performers will come together in London to tell the story of the Queen’s reign through a pageant in four acts. Included, there will be a “River of Hope” section made up of 200 silk flags that will make its way through The Mall, appearing like a moving river.
We do have an incredible sovereign range celebrating the Queen and her Platinum Jubilee which you can purchase HERE.
