Since 1952 the Queen of England has been enjoying life at the top. After 60 years of control she celebrated it in an amazing fashion. The diamond jubilee was a celebration for the Queen’s reign over England and other parts of the world. During this period of time she has seen many events of both joy and sorrow, and has experienced many difficulties. The Jubilee event brought all of those 60 years into one night.
The preparation had been going on for months before the event, contests were held for the Jubilee Emblem, people were spending time on the jubilee decorations, and others were getting the events scheduled. Fifteen towns were made cities and several museums and schools were opened too. My town, Doncaster missed the city bid marginally.
But after the 12 months of meticulous preparation the event finally kicked off on the June 2, at the Epsom Racecourse in Derby. Her majesty and his royal highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, were accompanied by close friends and family to watch the race. Later that night she returned to Royal Albert Hall where a large feast was laid out.
On Sunday, June 3, people joined the celebration and shared lunch with neighbours and friends as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
In the afternoon one of the main events took place, the Thames Jubilee pageant. Over one thousand boats took part in this event of sailing down the Thames, in a diamond shape, for seven miles. The Queen and Prince Phillips sailed down the Thames in the Royal Barge, which was also the centre of the Diamond formation. Hundreds of thousands of people stood by the banks of the river to witness this historic event. During the night Prince Phillips fell ill and was taken to hospital due to a bladder infection and missed the rest of the events.
On Monday June 4, the BBC concert took place at Buckingham Palace. Networks of 2012 beacons were lit across all of the United Kingdom, to set off the event. A concert took place later in the night organised by Songwriter and director Gary Barlow, some of the performers were British boys band JLS, Robbie Williams, Beatles star Paul McCartney, British singer Jessie J and Elton John. The concert was a great success and with the weather being unpredictable many thought the concert may not make it, but thankfully it did. Many people were there to watch the event and made it a huge success. The Duke of Edinburgh’s presence was missed and Prince Charles remembered him.
The Diamond Jubilee was culminated with the Cathedral services at St Paul’s Cathedral, followed by the receptions, a lunch at Westminster Hall, a Carriage Procession to Buckingham Palace and finally a Family balcony appearance, Flypast, and a Feu de Joie. The events were a huge success and were enjoyed by all.
After the event the heads of the state of the Commonwealth countries were invited to a dinner at Royal Albert Hall. This was the best way to finish off what has been one of the greatest events in the Queens’ history. Now Queen Elizabeth II has become the second longest reigning monarch behind Queen Victoria (63 years 216 days) in the history of British Kingdom.