Queen Elizabeth II, is the longest-reigning monarch in British history and in 2022, the Queen will reach a very important milestone. In February 2022, the Queen will have been on the throne for 70 years and will celebrate her platinum jubilee.
The UK will celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 70th anniversary as monarch with a blockbuster weekend of celebrations, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced. The Government has now confirmed that there will be an extra day off to mark the special occasion.
The culture secretary has announced that the traditional Spring bank holiday on the last Monday in May will be moved later in that week to Thursday June 2nd 2022. An extra bank holiday will be added on Friday June 3rd 2022 to make a four-day holiday break.
Queen Elizabeth II will be the first-ever British monarch to mark a platinum jubilee and this historic event will reflect on Her Majesty’s reign and her impact on the UK and the world since 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch on September 9th 2015 when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Victoria.
On February 6th 2017 she became the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee, commemorating 65 years on the throne.
The four day celebrations will feature an extensive programme of events that mix the best of British ceremonial splendour and pageantry with cutting edge artistic and technological displays. These will be interspersed with the traditional nationwide fanfare and celebrations.
Spectacular moments in London and other major cities will be complemented by events in communities across the UK and the Commonwealth, allowing people to join together in celebration and thanks at a national and local level.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Platinum Jubilee offers an opportunity for the Queen to express her thanks for the support and loyalty Her Majesty has received throughout her reign. The Queen hopes that as many people as possible will have the opportunity to join the celebrations.”
Following a tradition stretching back to the reign of Queen Victoria – when an official medal was designed to mark her 50th anniversary on the throne – a platinum jubilee medal will be awarded to people working in public service, such as armed forces personnel and those in the emergency services.
The early announcement is notable as the UK government came under criticism for announcing the public holiday change for V.E. Day in 2020 too late, giving calendar makers little time to prepare their 2020 calendars.
