Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee: Everything to Know About the Celebration of Her 70-Year Reign

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Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee: Everything to Know About the Celebration of Her 70-Year Reign

A royal affair! Queen Elizabeth II is set to hit a very important milestone in 2022 — and the palace is celebrating the occasion all year long. The monarch will mark 70 years on the throne on February 6, making her the first British ruler to ever celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. (She is already the commonwealth's longest-reigning monarch, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria in 2015.) Buckingham Palace announced the initial plans for the celebration on January 10, kicking everything off with a nationwide baking competition to create a Jubilee Pudding in honor of the occasion. The festivities will culminate in a four-day weekend in the U.K. lasting from June 2 through June 5. "The bank holiday will provide an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom to come together to celebrate the historic milestone," the palace said in a statement at the time. [jwplayer E7DTdYZa-zhNYySv2] The queen is no stranger to setting unprecedented records, becoming the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee — which occurs after 65 years on the throne — in 2017. Elizabeth rose to power in February 1952 after her father, King George VI, died at age 56. She was coronated in June 1953. Since taking the throne, the queen has been served by 14 British prime ministers including Winston Churchill (her first), Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. She is also the longest-serving female head of state in the history of any country. Though the upcoming event is supposed to be a joyous occasion, it will also mark the queen's first jubilee without her husband, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at age 99. On a happier note, however, it may provide the monarch with the chance to see all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren after the coronavirus pandemic forced her to scale back her Christmas plans. In January 2021, royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti exclusively told Us Weekly that Prince Harry could make the journey to the U.K. for the celebration with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Archie and Lili. Since her birth in June 2021, Lili hasn't yet been to her father's home country. "This is an extremely exciting moment," the British journalist told Us, noting that the jubilee could give the family another opportunity to mend fences after the Sussexes announced they were stepping down as senior royals in January 2020. "Sometimes all families might use a special occasion or an event to put some things behind them that maybe have been causing trouble," Sacerdoti explained. "Hopefully, this jubilee year will be the opportunity for them to do so." Keep scrolling for everything to know about the queen's Platinum Jubilee: [podcast_block]

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When Is It?

The queen officially passes the 70-year mark on February 6, but the pudding competition kicked off one month prior. Additional events will take place across the U.K. throughout the spring, culminating with the four-day bank holiday from June 2 to June 5.

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What Events Are Scheduled?

The bank holiday weekend will kick off with Trooping the Colour on June 2, the traditional parade to mark the queen's official birthday. Pandemic permitting, the event will close with a Royal Air Force flyby, watched by the queen and members of the royal family from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Over 1,500 beacons throughout the U.K. and its commonwealth countries will be lit to commemorate the occasion.

On June 3, a service of thanksgiving for Elizabeth's reign will be held at St. Paul's Cathedral. The following day, the queen will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs. Also on June 4, the BBC will host a concert live from Buckingham Palace featuring "the world’s biggest entertainment stars."

June 5 will see the London-based Platinum Jubilee Pageant, with "artistic performers, dancers, musicians, military personnel, key workers and volunteers" uniting to tell the story of the queen's reign "in an awe-inspiring festival of creativity." The day is also set aside for the Big Lunch, which will be hosted in communities throughout the country.

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The Pudding Competition

The Jubilee Pudding competition is arguably the most exciting part of the event, especially for Great British Bake Off fans — former judge Mary Berry is one of the pros who will choose the winning dessert. The competition is open to all amateur U.K. bakers over the age of 8, with entries accepted until February 4. After four weeks of judging, the final winner will be announced on March 14.

The winning baker's recipe could become as famous as some other royal recipes throughout history. Coronation chicken, for example, was developed in 1953 for Elizabeth's coronation. Victoria sponge, a common element on GBBO, is so named because of Queen Victoria's fondness for the fluffy dessert.   

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The Coins

The Royal Mint commissioned a coin to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee. "Designed by esteemed artists and made with original craftsmanship, Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee coins are enduring pieces of art that will be collected, cherished and passed down for generations," Clare Maclennan, divisional director of the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales, told the BBC in January 2021. The coin depicts the queen engaged in one of her favorite activities: horseback riding.

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A Royal Collection Trust Exhibit

The Royal Collection Trust will host a special exhibition of early portraits of Elizabeth at the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace in honor of her Platinum Jubilee.

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Harry and Meghan Are Coming

In May 2022, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex and the Suits alum confirmed that the duo plan to attend the Platinum Jubilee with Archie and Lili. “Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honoured to attend The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children,” the rep told Us. 

The couple will not, however, stand on the balcony with the rest of the royal family during the Trooping the Colour parade. “After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement at the time. 

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Concert Celebration

In May 2022, the royal family and BBC announced the star-studded lineup for the Platinum Party at the Park concert, which will take place on June 4. Adam Lambert and the band Queen, Sir Elton John, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Diana Ross, Sir Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Alicia Keys and more are set to take the stage in honor of the monarch — and the whole show will be broadcast on BBC. The casts of Hamilton, The Lion King and more musicals will also make appearances.

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Platinum Pudding Winner

Jemma Melvin beat out nearly 5,000 individuals in the Jubilee Pudding competition. She was named the champion in March after submitting a seven-layer lemon Swiss role and amaretti trifle.

Melvin, who is a copywriter by trade, used the queen’s wedding as her inspiration. Her majesty had a lemon posset as dessert on her big day in November 1947. “I wanted it to be easy to make,” Melvin told NBC News in May. “I wanted it to be summery. I know the queen likes lemon flavor.”

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A Short Break

Ahead of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the monarch headed to her beloved Balmoral Castle on May 26. Queen Elizabeth is known to take an annual trip to her Scottish holiday home in the early summer, where she will rest and relax before the festivities begin on June 2.

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Trooping the Colour

The opening day parade kicked off the weekend festivities on Thursday, June 2. The queen enjoyed the event from the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside William, Kate, and their three little ones: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. 

Harry and Meghan were also in attendance with their son, Archie, and daughter Lilibet, however, they enjoyed the event from slightly farther away, overlooking the grounds in the Major General’s Office. 

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Platinum Jubilee Beacon Lighting

The monarch lit the Principal Platinum Jubilee Beacon at Windsor Castle late on Thursday, June 2, despite feeling “discomfort” earlier in the day. Elizabeth was presented with the Commonwealth Nations Globe as she set off a chain of lights leading to the beacon while William represented her at Buckingham Palace. While the ceremony took place, over 3,000 other fire and gaslit torches were lit across the U.K. in honor of the queen's 70 years of service on the throne. 

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The Queen Pulls Out of Thanksgiving Service

The monarch decided to skip the Friday, June 3, service with “great reluctance” after experiencing “discomfort” during Trooping the Colour the previous day. 

“The Queen greatly enjoyed today’s Birthday Parade and flypast but did experience some discomfort,” a statement from Buckingham Palace revealed to Us on Thursday. “Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow’s National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty with great reluctance has concluded that she will not attend.”

Harry and Meghan arrived at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Friday for their first official appearance during the celebrations but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge didn’t join the Archewell cofounders inside the chapel. “Senior members of the royal family were seated in the front row and non-senior members in the second row,” an insider explained to Us at the time. 

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The Queen Pulls Out of the Epsom Derby

After the service, it was announced that the queen pulled out of a second Jubilee plan — the Epsom Derby.

The event, which takes place on Saturday, June 4, in Surrey, England, will mark the third time over the course of Elizabeth's 70-year reign that she will have missed the horse race. 

In a statement to BBC One, Buckingham Palace announced that her majesty would watch the events on television from Windsor Castle.