Four-day Bank Holiday celebrations confirmed for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Queen Elizabeth II took to the throne at the age of just 25 (Photo: Getty Images)Queen Elizabeth II took to the throne at the age of just 25 (Photo: Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II took to the throne at the age of just 25 (Photo: Getty Images)

Brits will enjoy an extra Bank Holiday next summer in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The Queen is the first British Monarch to reach the historic milestone and will celebrate 70 years on the throne in June 2022.

Elizabeth II took to the throne at the age of just 25 when her father, King George VI, died peacefully in his sleep on 6 February 1952, after suffering from lung cancer.

By the time the Platinum Jubilee is reached, the Queen will be 96 years old, making her the first ever sovereign to reign for seven decades.

Princess Elizabeth was away in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour at the time and returned home as monarch.

Dates for celebrations confirmed

Buckingham Palace has confirmed a series of special events will take place over a four-day weekend, from 2 to 5 June next year.

Trooping the Colour will be staged in full for the first time since the pandemic on the first day of celebrations.

On the following day, a Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral and the third day of the weekend, a Saturday, will see the Queen joined by members of the royal family at the Derby, held at Epsom Downs.

A live concert will be staged at Buckingham Palace later that evening, called the Platinum Party at the Palace.

Performers for the event have yet to be named, but it is expected to bring together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars to celebrate the most significant and joyous moments from the Queen’s 70 year reign.

There will also be The Big Jubilee Lunch and a pageant featuring over 5,000 people from across the UK and the Commonwealth.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee will be a truly historic moment - and one that deserves a celebration to remember.

"We can all look forward to a special, four-day Jubilee weekend, when we will put on a spectacular, once-in-a-generation show that mixes the best of British ceremonial splendour with cutting edge art and technology.

"It will bring the entire nation and the Commonwealth together in a fitting tribute to Her Majesty’s reign."

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