Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilees

Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) had four official Jubilees, the most of any British monarch. The previous longest-reigning sovereign, Queen Victoria (1819-1901), died 4 years after her Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne), whereas Queen Elizabeth II died a few months after her Platinum Jubilee (70 years) in 2022. There was an extra day’s Bank Holiday given for the festivities but the Queen’s frailty made it a rather subdued event.

The Silver Jubilee (25 years) in 1977 set the tone for the milestones to follow ~ the Golden Jubilee (50 years) of 2002 and the Diamond in 2012. Each has seen street parties, Union flags a-plenty, parades, the lighting of beacons, open-air concerts, fireworks, balcony appearances at Buckingham Palace and fly-pasts. Famously in 2002, Concorde flew down The Mall in formation with the Red Arrows, a feat they performed on just a handful of occasions.

In 1977 the Queen and Prince Philip (1921-2021) made special visits to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In 2002 they toured the UK. By 2012 the Prince was in poor health; however, the royal family took part in a huge river pageant on the Thames, even though it rained and was windy. Each Jubilee was well supported by the public, who take the opportunity to show their appreciation for the Queen’s dedication.

(Top image: Michael Chu at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)