How the UK will Celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012
On the 2nd June 2012 Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 60th year andDiamond Jubileeas queen of England and head of the Commonwealth. In so doing she takes her place as the second longest reigning British monarch after her grandmother Queen Victoria who reigned for 63 years, 216 days. Her Majesty’s reign will be marked by a series of official celebrations throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and is expected to last a total of four days beginning on Saturday 2nd June and continuing until Tuesday 5th June 2012.
The last time a diamond Jubilee was celebrated was by Queen Victoria's on the 20th June 1897 and then it was a spectacular event, however this one promises to be even grander. The celebratory machinery has been in motion for several months organizing a program rich with activities and events to ensure that it is a truly special occasion. Horse racing is the Queen’s passion, therefore it is only fitting that a visit to the Epsom Derby kicks off the celebrations on Saturday 2nd June 2012. On the following day the nation is being encouraged to arrange shared lunches with friends, relatives and neighbours, either by having street parties, lunches and picnics.
On the same day, Sunday 3rd, a pageant has been organized to take place on the river Thames in which over 1000 boats from Britain and around the Commonwealth are expected to participate. The pageant will be around 7.5 miles long and is expected to last at lease two hours. The Queen will travel in a barge and lead the flotilla up the river Thames, no doubt symbolic of Britannia ruling the waves.
On Monday 4th The British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) will be holding a televised concert at Buckingham Palace and tickets will be balloted, this will give some ordinary individuals an opportunity to participate in this special event. It has also been arranged for two thousand and twelve beacons to be lit throughout Britain and the Commonwealth and the queen will begin the process by lighting the national beacon.
The 5th June will be the last and most important day of the official celebrations and for this reason it has been designated a Bank holiday. The day will begin with a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s cathedral in the heart of London, followed by a formal celebratory procession by the queen and members of the royal family. This event will no doubt be full of pomp and pageantry, when all the family‘s brassware will be on display. The 5th of June has also been designated a bank holiday which will give as many people as possible the opportunity to see the procession and be part of the event.
This additional bank holiday has been achieved by moving the late May bank holiday to Monday 4th June and tagging on Tuesday 5th June as an additional jubilee bank holiday. The pubs and clubs will be allowed to extend their opening house until 1am on that day.
An official commemoration medal has been produced to mark the occasion and is expected to be given to chosen members of the public, members of the armed forces, police forces and prison service personnel. There will of course be the usual production of pottery, glass and metal memorabilia in the form of mugs, plates and spoons etc. This will give ordinary citizens the opportunity to purchase souvenirs and keepsakes.
This jubilee celebration is to honor Her Majesty the Queen in recognition or her decades of service to Britain and the Commonwealth. This event is fully expected to top the celebrations seen ten years ago when she and the nation celebrated her Golden Jubilee. The events surrounding these celebrations are still in the making, therefore there is much more information yet to come, which will no doubt be released as the time draws near. The event will be televised around the world and it is expected to be watched my millions of people far beyond Britain and the commonwealth.
