THE WORLD JOINS IN CELEBRATING THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE

The world is joining the United Kingdom in marking the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 70th year of reign as the longest-serving British monarch.

Beyond the United Kingdom, various countries are marking the observations with different degrees of extravagance whether or not the Queen is their titular head of state as with the Commonwealth member countries. 

Several countries including the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have enacted special public holidays to mark the occasion similar to what’s happening in the UK their ‘mother country’.

To celebrate the 96-year-old Queen’s Platinum Jubilee milestone, there will be a four-day bank holiday weekend in the UK from Thursday 2nd June to Sunday 5th June 2022, including two days off work on Thursday and Friday June 2nd and 3rd for lavish events across the country.

While the level of pageantry might nor be not on the same scale as the UK, various countries have organised their own grand events to mark the historic occasion.

British Embassies and High Commissions have also organised functions in their host countries.

Where there are no planned official public events, communities of British expatriates across the globe and communities of their host countries are also organising an array of events.

Special merchandise and 70th-anniversary memorabilia celebrating British royalty along with official tributes, commemorative stamps, garden parties, parades, concerts, tree-planting, exhibitions and British-themed events are some of the more common global features.

The most international celebration of the occasion are the Platinum Jubilee Beacons which will be lit in many countries.

More than 1,500 beacons in total will be lit throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and British Overseas Territories and for the first time, they will also be lit in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth nations.

Among some of the more distinctive highlights; in Canada - a commemorative silver two-coin set is being issued to mark the Platinum Jubilee, in Australia - from June 2nd to 5th buildings and monuments throughout Australia will be illuminated in royal purple and Aspen Island will be renamed Queen Elizabeth II Island.

Meanwhile, in the United States which had had long and deep historical ties with the UK and the British monarchy, several formal and informal events are taking place in many states. Among them is a toy soldier display of more than 500 pieces depicting the Trooping the Colour organised by the Historical Society of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

The actual date of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee was Sunday 6th February 2022.

On September 9th 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-lived British monarch, having previously surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, in 2007.

Of the 25 longest-reigning monarchs of states that were internationally recognized as sovereign for most or all of their reign, Queen Elizabeth II ranks third with her reign of 70 years, 111 days and counting.

Louis XIV of France had the longest reign of 72 years and 110 days, followed by Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) of Thailand with 70 years and 126 days.