The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Everything You Need to Know About Elizabeth II’s 70th Birthday

Queen Elizabeth II is set to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee on February 6, 2022, 70 years after she came to the throne in 1952, breaking Queen Victoria’s record as the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Here’s all you need to know about the history of Royal Jubilees, when the Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated, how the Royal Family – and the public – will commemorate the Queen’s landmark event, and what Jubilee souvenirs will be available.

A jubilee is the commemoration of a significant event. The name has biblical origins, first appearing in the Old Testament in reference to a legislation saying that a ‘Jubilee’ year was to occur every 50 years in Israel as a season of land resetting and debt forgiveness.

Every 25 years, the Roman Catholic Church commemorates jubilees — the remission of sins and reconciliation. Their jubilee festivities began in 1300 AD, with the most recent taking place in 2000.

Despite their religious roots, jubilees are now more typically linked with key milestones in a monarch’s reign, and are most strongly associated with celebrations involving the British Monarchy.

What is a Royal Jubilee?

A Royal Jubilee commemorates the life and reign of a British king or queen. Jubilee celebrations begin when a monarch has reigned for at least 25 years.

Each Royal Jubilee year is associated with a precious metal. The Silver Jubilee commemorates a monarch’s elevation to the throne 25 years ago. The Ruby Jubilee commemorates the 40th anniversary of the ascension; the Golden Jubilee commemorates the 50th anniversary; the Diamond Jubilee commemorates the 60th anniversary, the Sapphire Jubilee commemorates the 65th anniversary, and the Platinum Jubilee commemorates the 70th anniversary.

When did Royal Jubilee celebrations begin?

With George III’s Golden Jubilee in 1809, formal Royal Jubilee celebrations with national and Commonwealth pomp and ceremony began. The King and the Royal Family marked the occasion by attending a private service in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, followed by a large party and fireworks display at Frogmore House.

In 1887, Queen Victoria became the next monarch to commemorate a Golden Jubilee. Her jubilee celebrations included street processions and a dinner attended by 50 foreign kings and princes. Although Victoria technically surpassed her grandfather, George III, as the longest-reigning British monarch in September 1896, she chose to commemorate her record-breaking reign – and 60 years on the throne – during her Diamond Jubilee in June 1897.

George V was the first British monarch to have a big Silver Jubilee to commemorate his 25-year reign. The celebrations in 1935, which featured a carriage procession through London to St Paul’s Cathedral, a Bank Holiday, and a ball for 2,000 guests, took place less than a year before George V died.

Queen Elizabeth II, who will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, has had five prior jubilee celebrations, although only her 1977 Silver Jubilee, 2002 Golden Jubilee, and 2012 Diamond Jubilee were marked by huge celebrations. Her Ruby and Sapphire Jubilees, in 1992 and 2017, were more low-key ceremonies.

How did Queen Elizabeth II celebrate her previous Jubilees?

In addition to the typical stately processions and elegant celebrations, the Queen spent her 1977 Silver Jubilee year, marking her 25th year on the throne, travelling around the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth, after deciding she wanted to greet as many of her subjects as possible. Beginning in May, Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, visited 36 counties in the United Kingdom as part of six jubilee goodwill trips. The Queen, who was 51 at the time, also journeyed abroad, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Western Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, Canada, and the West Indies. During her Silver Jubilee year, Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are claimed to have travelled 56,000 miles.

The Queen’s Ruby Jubilee celebrations in 1992, celebrating 40 years of her reign, included tributes, tours to Commonwealth states, and a gala celebration, but the ‘highlight’ event for many was a November luncheon at Guildhall in London. This was the location where Elizabeth II, then 66, delivered her famous ‘annus horribilis’ address, in which she stated, ‘1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with unadulterated joy.’ Three of her children’s marriages had failed, there had been a massive fire at Windsor Castle, protestors threw eggs at her in Dresden, Germany, where thousands had died in the final weeks of WWII during Anglo-American bombings, and the tide of public sentiment had turned against the Royal Family following the publication of Princess Diana’s unfiltered biography, Diana: Her True Story.

Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee, which commemorated 50 years since her accession in 2002, was organised around six major themes: Celebration, Community, Service, Past and Future, Giving Thanks, and Commonwealth. Despite a difficult start to the year – her sister, Princess Margaret, and the Queen Mother died in February and March, respectively – Queen Elizabeth II, then 76, soldiered on, visiting widely around the UK and Commonwealth countries on a goodwill tour.

Her June Jubilee weekend in London was jam-packed with events, including a ceremonial procession, classical music concerts in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, a National Service of Thanksgiving, and a pop concert at Buckingham Palace featuring Paul McCartney, Bryan Adams, Elton John, and Shirley Bassey. To cap off the celebration, the Queen lit the National Beacon, the final of 2,600 beacons that had been lit up across the Commonwealth.

In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II became the second monarch to receive Diamond Jubilee status, as she celebrated her 60th year on the throne. Elizabeth II and Prince Philip toured the United Kingdom, as they had done in previous Jubilee celebrations, but left international Commonwealth goodwill travel to other members of the Royal Family.

The Queen’s central weekend events included a visit to the Epsom Derby, a 1,000-boat pageant on the Thames River – with Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the helm on the Royal Barge – and yet another pop jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, this time featuring performances by Will.i.am, Stevie Wonder, Grace Jones, and Kylie Minogue. Following the concert, the Queen lit the National Beacon, one of 2,012 jubilee beacons that were illuminated across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.

In 2017, the Queen became the first British monarch to celebrate her 65-year reign with a Sapphire Jubilee. There were no official celebrations to commemorate the day. Instead, it was decided to postpone large-scale celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee in five years and her 90th birthday, which was formally commemorated in June of that year.

How many years has the Queen been the Queen?

Queen Elizabeth II has ruled for the past 70 years.

Following the death of George VI, she came to the throne on February 6, 1952. The 25-year-old princess was on a Commonwealth tour with her husband, Prince Philip, in Kenya when she learned of her father’s death. The couple returned to England immediately, arriving on February 7, 1952.

Although Elizabeth II ascended to the throne following her father’s death, her coronation did not take place until June 2, 1953. The 16-month postponement was owing to her father’s traditional period of grief.

Why is Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee so special?

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is noteworthy because it will be the first Royal Jubilee to commemorate a British Monarch’s 70 years on the throne — a feat unlikely to be duplicated within a lifetime or two.

The Queen, who is 95 years old, is the longest-reigning monarch in British history, a status she has held since 2015. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, who died at the age of 81, reigned for over 64 years.

The Platinum Jubilee will also mark Elizabeth II’s first Jubilee without her husband, Prince Philip. The Royal pair had been married for 73 years and had been inseparable since November 1947. On April 9, 2021, the Duke of Edinburgh died.

When is the Platinum Jubilee?

The Platinum Jubilee year of Queen Elizabeth II begins on February 6, 2022, the day her father, King George VI, died. As with past accession day anniversaries, she is anticipated to mark the day with solitary meditation in Sandringham, as the day is truly a mournful one due to her father’s death anniversary.

Instead, the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations will take place during ‘Jubilee Central Weekend,’ which will take place from June 2 to June 5, 2022 – an extended bank holiday weekend that corresponds with the prospect of ideal weather conditions.

What’s happening during the four-day Jubilee Central Weekend?

The major thrust of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee festivities begins in London on Thursday, June 2, 2022, with Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s birthday parade — an event for which tickets are available through a lottery. More than 1,500 Platinum Jubilee Beacons will be illuminated around the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, with the main beacon being lit in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace that night.

On Friday, June 3, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London will host a special Thanksgiving Service in honour of the Queen’s long reign.

The Queen and members of the Royal Family will next visit the renowned Derby at Epsom Downs in Surrey on Saturday, June 4. Later that day, the BBC will host and broadcast the Platinum Party at the Palace, a live performance from Buckingham Palace that is open to the public via lottery.

On Sunday, June 5, the final main events of Jubilee Central Weekend take place. The Eden Project’s Big Jubilee Lunch – which already has 1,400 registered hosts – encourages individuals to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee by developing a sense of community with neighbours across the UK, whether that means sharing a cup of tea or throwing a street party.

On Sunday, the Platinum Jubilee Pageant will take place in London, bringing together creative performers, dancers, musicians, military people, essential workers, and volunteers from around the UK and Commonwealth to portray the storey of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign.

What will happen during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant?

The Jubilee pageant, which has a budget of between £10 million ($13.5 million) and £15 million ($20 million), will feature 6,500 performers from across the arts spectrum, making it the ‘largest ever put on,’ surpassing the number of people involved in events held for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

The pageant, which will feature participants from the United Kingdom and 54 Commonwealth countries, will contain a homage to each decade of the Queen’s reign, as well as plenty of horses and corgis, two of Elizabeth II’s favourite animals.

The pageant will have three acts, according to organisers. First, veterans and active military personnel will march down The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. The second act will include a puppet dragon the size of a double-decker bus. In the final act, artists will perform Sir Michael Morpurgo’s newly written fairy tale, There Once Was A Queen.

The ‘River of Hope,’ which will feature 200 fluttering silk banners carried down The Mall by secondary school students, is set to be one of the pageant’s highlights. The flags will be adorned with designs by elementary and secondary school students depicting their environmental wishes for the next 70 years.

What other events are planned around the Platinum Jubilee?

More than 60,000 trees have been planted around the UK as part of the ‘plant a tree for the Jubilee’ scheme since the Queen’s Green Canopy project began in March 2021. That month, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, a long-time conservationist, planted an oak tree together on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The project’s formal start date has been set for May 2021. At the end of her Jubilee year, the Queen will be given a map showing where all of the trees have been planted. The planting initiative, which aims to safeguard 70 old trees and heritage woods, will continue through March 2023.

The grounds of Windsor Castle will host ‘A Gallop Through History’ from May 12 to 15. More than 500 horses and over 1,000 performers will take a 5,000-person nightly audience on a voyage through time, beginning with Elizabeth I’s reign and ending with Elizabeth II’s reign. International military displays from the Commonwealth, Europe, and the United Kingdom will also be included at the expo.

Pubs, clubs, and bars will be allowed to extend their drinking hours until 1am between June 2 and June 4, over the Jubilee Central bank holiday weekend, as a special reward for individuals who enjoy the nightlife. In most cases, alcohol service finishes at 11 p.m. The extended drinking period would allow ‘family, friends, and communities across England and Wales to raise a glass to salute Her Majesty the Queen and honour her remarkable service to our country,’ said Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Following Jubilee Central Weekend, three official royal homes will display unique Jubilee exhibitions commemorating three main events in the Queen’s reign: her accession, coronation, and Royal Jubilees.

Buckingham Palace will host the Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession exhibition from July 22 to October 2, 2022, which will include official portraits of the Queen taken by Dorothy Wilding, as well as numerous pieces of Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery worn during the sittings. The Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate display at Windsor Castle runs from July 7 to September 26 and features the Queen’s Norman Hartnell couture gown and the purple silk velvet Ede and Ravenscroft robe she wore at her coronation at Westminster Abbey in 1953. The Queen’s famous gowns from her Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees will also be on display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

What is the Platinum Pudding Competition?

The Platinum Pudding Competition was launched in early January 2022 by Fortnum & Mason and the Big Jubilee Lunch. The worldwide desert-baking competition, accessible to all UK residents over the age of eight, seeks the greatest ‘classic’ desert to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

According to royal insider Gyles Brandreth, the judges, who include Dame Mary Berry, Masterchef’s Monica Galetti, and Buckingham Palace’s chief chef Mark Flanagan, will be looking for a dessert that suits the Queen’s “simple and unfussy” tastes.

The first round of judgement will take place on February 7 – the day after the Queen’s accession anniversary. The final week of judging begins March 14th, when five finalists will travel to Fortnum & Mason’s flagship store in London to bake their creations for the judges.

Who will be receiving Platinum Jubilee Medals this year?

Individuals who have received the George and Victoria Crosses, as well as qualified serving members of the British Armed Forces, frontline emergency services, prison services, and members of the Royal Household, will be eligible to receive the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Medals, designed by Timothy Noad of the College of Arms.

According to the Palace, the nickel silver medals are “a tribute of the nation’s thanks to individuals who actively serve the people.”

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