As the Platinum Jubilee weekend drew to a close, Her Majesty sent a thank you message to all those who have marked her 70 years as Queen. In her message, Her Majesty said, “I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.”
The four-day UK bank holiday weekend marked the culmination of events to mark this unprecedented anniversary, with a series of spectacular events taking place in central London. The event was brought together by 1,500 soldiers and officers, 400 musicians, 250 horses, and 70 aircraft.
The celebrations which lasted four days witnessed two Buckingham Palace balcony appearances by the 96-year-old queen — one on Thursday as festivities kicked off, and the other on Sunday at the finale of a massive street pageant.
Crowds erupted into three cheers as the queen waved and smiled on the balcony along with other working royals after the traditional Trooping the Colour military parade on the first day. She then attended a special beacon-lighting ceremony at Windsor Castle that night, but the brief appearances left her tired. She missed a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral the next day.
Close to 6,000 performers told the story of the queen’s life along with a parade of vintage cars, double-decker buses, a giant moving wedding cake and huge puppets. Among them were members of the Asian community from various boroughs and walks of life, who participated in the celebration in their own unique way. While some attended street parties, others had garden picnics.
Among the veterans and renowned names that performed for the Queen were Sir Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Kuchipudi dancer Arunima Kumar, and more. Dancer Ash Mukherjee was also an integral part of the Citizens of The World Choir.
Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief CB Patel also celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee during a street party at his new residence in Egham. London Mayor Sadiq Khan shared a throwback picture of the silver jubilee of the Queen from when he was a child, to mark this platinum jubilee celebration.
Crowds sang “God Save The Queen” and the queen made her second palace balcony appearance, flanked only by those in the immediate line of succession and two future queen consorts.
On Saturday 4th June thousands of Watford citizens came together at Britain's well known Cassiobury Park to celebrate Council's centennial and Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
The only Indian event, which was a dance performance by students of Kathak Guru Krushna Kumari was widely appreciated by the audience.
On 5 June, St Matthew's Walsall Church hosted their Big Jubilee Lunch. The public was invited to bring their own picnic while enjoying live music and performances from the Blue Coat schools, Bollywood dancers and Bhangra Smash Up. Community stalls and local vendors were also in attendance.
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay completed an epic four days in London, celebrating sports, culture and communities across the capital over the Platinum Jubilee weekend, where thousands joined the celebrations and witnessed the excitement. From 2-5 June, over 40 Batonbearers, made up of community heroes and Team England athletes, took on the honourable role of carrying the Baton.
The Queen’s Baton for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games made an appearance in Downing Street as the four-day Platinum Jubilee events drew to a close. It marked the end of the Relay in London following an epic four-day tour around major landmarks in the capital, including iconic venues across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
School children, Commonwealth athletes and senior citizens attended a Big Afternoon Tea in Downing Street in honour of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. The Batonbearers bringing the baton to Downing Street today were Kash Gill – a world champion kickboxer and Courtney Hughes, who received a Point of Light award for her services to the elderly and vulnerable, through a charity she founded at age 13 to support lonely and isolated people in crisis at Christmas.
As part of the event, the Culture Secretary awarded Kash Gill a Point of Light award to acknowledge his community spirit. Since lockdown, Kash has been running free martial arts, fitness classes and community running groups in Handsworth Park Birmingham for people of all ages.
The celebration continued even after the four days long weekend holiday, wherein the Project Jayantee team celebrated on Tuesday in honour of the Queen. Harsha Wadhwani Basu shared some coloured paintings of the Queen along with Mithila art, which she humbly distributed for free to kids who wanted to paint.
While many members of the royal family celebrated at the Platinum Party at the Palace, the Sussexes were not in attendance. The pair travelled to the UK with their children Archie and Lilibet to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign but missed the final day of the jubilee weekend. They also did not attend any Jubilee events Saturday, instead of spending the day in private to celebrate their daughter Lilibet "Lili" Diana's first birthday. The couple were not seen spending time publicly with the queen or any of Harry's immediate family members this weekend.
However, the person who stole the show was Prince Louis. Photographs published by the British media showed the young prince cheekily thumbing his nose as his mother Kate Middleton tried to talk to him. The press also caught the moment he tenderly hugged his mother and rested on her shoulder. Clips also showed him moving from seat to sit on his grandfather Prince Charles’ lap.
Main photo: Alfriston Jubilee crafts at the Queen's Jayantee Project. Photo credit: Helen Fortgang
