No other monarch in British history has served 70 years.
The Queen, then 25, ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI.
She became the longest-serving British monarch in 2015, surpassing the time spent on the throne by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years and seven months.
In recognition of the remarkable event, Buckingham Palace pulls all the stops. Here’s what you need to know.
What is happening?
To celebrate the unprecedented anniversary, a number of events took place in the United Kingdom this year. It all ends with a four-day weekend on the national banking holiday from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5, known as the Platinum Jubilee Weekend. In the United Kingdom, royal celebrations are usually held in the summer to provide better weather.
The weekend will include various public events and social activities, as well as “national moments of reflection” on the Queen’s seven decades as sovereign, according to the palace.
The upcoming celebrations will be the first anniversary of the Queen without her husband Prince Philip, who died in 2021.
Several anniversaries highlight the Queen’s reign after her accession to the throne in 1952: the Silver Anniversary, which marked 25 years in 1977; the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee for 50 years in 2002; and the diamond anniversary celebrations a decade ago for its 60th anniversary.
The monarch chose to celebrate other anniversaries, such as her Ruby Jubilee (40 years in 1992) and Sapphire Jubilee (65 years in 2017), with less fanfare and no public events.
The Queen’s private mansions – including Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle – are also joining in the anniversary themed events.
What events are planned?
Thursday, June 2
The festivities begin at 10 a.m. BST (5 a.m. ET) with the Queen’s Birthday Parade, known as Trooping the Color. The annual ceremony returns to central London after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an impressive demonstration of a military spectacle, more than 1,200 officers from the Queen’s personal troops, the host division, will be joined by several hundred army musicians and 240 horses. The “color” – or regimental flag – will be armed by the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guard. The procession will start from Buckingham Palace and move down The Mall to the Horse Guards Parade, which will be joined by members of the royal family on horseback and in carriages.
After returning from the parade, the queen and members of the royal family will make their usual balcony. The event will end with a flight over the palace.
Later, 1,500 beacons will be lit in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the UK’s overseas territories. The main lighthouse will be lit at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Lighthouse lighting is a long-standing royal tradition used to celebrate anniversaries, weddings and coronations. The lighthouses will also shine in the capitals of the British Commonwealth.
Friday, June 3
Thanksgiving service in honor of the Queen’s long reign will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral with the participation of family members.
Saturday, June 4
Several members of the royal family are expected to head to the Epsom Downs racetrack this afternoon for the 243rd edition of the famous Derby Horse Racing. The queen, an avid horsewoman herself, was a regular spectator of the event and even presented the famous trophy in recent years.
In the evening, at two and a half hours, the Platinum Party At The Palace concert will see a star line that will feature three stages built in front of Buckingham Palace and the famous Queen Victoria Memorial. Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys and Diana Ross are among the artists who will perform their biggest hits on the show, which will be broadcast live by the BBC. About 22,000 people will be able to watch the concert in person, including 10,000 who won tickets by public vote; 5,000 tickets were reserved for key workers.
Sunday, June 5
At the end of Sunday’s festivities, people are encouraged to organize street parties as part of the Big Jubilee Lunch initiative. Public gatherings will be held across the UK, including leading events in London and the Eden project in Cornwall – where the idea for lunches came from. “Big Jubilee Lunches” are also planned around the world – from Canada to Brazil to South Africa and Japan.
The finale of the weekend is the Platinum Jubilee Competition, in which artists, dancers, musicians, the military, key workers and volunteers will come together to relive iconic moments from the Queen’s reign in a festival of creativity. Starting at 14:30 (9:30 ET), the competition will include a “River of Hope” section, which will include 200 silk flags that parade through The Mall like a river. Students are invited to create a picture of their hopes and aspirations for the planet over the next 70 years, a selection of which will be shown on silk flags.
When will we see the queen?
It is not yet clear when we will see the queen over the weekend.
The 96-year-old monarch has recently struggled with mobility problems and was forced to step down from several public appearances, including the state opening of parliament in May.
She will continue to play it safe for the anniversary and has not confirmed whether she will attend the various celebrations.
A royal source recently told CNN that Her Majesty was “looking forward” to the feast and planned to take part in the festivities, but “her presence will not be confirmed until much closer to the hour or the day itself”.
Which other royalty join the festivities?
Most dignitaries are expected to attend several of the anniversary events in central London over the weekend. Some will be stationed in all four British nations during the four-day extravaganza, with the Queen sending Cambridge to Wales, the Earl and Countess of Wessex in Northern Ireland and Princess Anne to Scotland.
And after much speculation, it was also confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children will fly back to the UK for the celebrations.
The Queen has decided that only incumbent royalty will appear on the famous balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Color parade on Thursday. So we expect to see the Queen with three of her children – Charles, Edward and Anne – as well as Prince William and Kate and their children, as well as a number of other relatives of the monarch.
This does not mean that Harry, Megan or Andrew will not participate in the celebrations at all. The extended family is traditionally invited to church services, such as the one for St. Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.
CNN’s Hannah Ryan contributed to this report.
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