The Platinum Jubilee is an historic event, and even more-so when we look at the last two and a half years. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to London for the festivities but I have been watching avidly from here at home in Canada. I’ve been keeping a journal of sorts throughout the celebrations. Aside from copious screenshots from CBC coverage, I’ve written down some of my thoughts on the Platinum Jubilee. So, as the weekend is wrapping up now, I wanted to share my thoughts with you!
Trooping the Colour 2022
Trooping the Colour is always one of the most popular events in the royal calendar. You get to see many members of the Royal Family out in public, complete with fashion and hat-watching. And then after the actual military event, the balcony shot during the fly-over is always a highlight.
This is one of the events that I was most looking forward to, as it is one based in a centuries-old tradition. It was quite impressive to see Prince Charles, Prince William, and Princess Anne all participating in Trooping, and I’m curious if we will see it again in non-Jubilee years. The actual Birthday Parade was a lot of fun to watch, and so intricate. (The CBC feed that I was watching had a military historian that provided some excellent context.)
The carriage rides were quite entertaining- it was fantastic to see all three Cambridge children taking part, as well as the Wessex kids. Prince Louis was clearly enjoying himself, and did really well for only turning four in April. It did appear that Princess Charlotte was not thrilled with his waving but he continued on.
We didn’t see much of the Sussexes through the Window at Horse Guards, but they seemed to be having a good time. They were not on the balcony, as we knew they wouldn’t be. The Queen first appeared on the balcony with her first cousin, The Duke of Kent, and then again with all of the working members. Again, Louis had an absolute blast, and looked pretty comfortable asking his great-grandmother his questions. While the fly-past usually isn’t one of my favourite parts (I’m not a plane person), it was very cool to see the “70” formation flying over Buck House.
Want to know more about Horse Guards where the Parade takes place? Head to my Horse Guards post here!
The Beacon Lighting
The beacons have traditionally been part of Jubilee celebrations for over 100 years now, going back to Queen Victoria’s reign. It was announced after the Thursday daytime events that The Queen would not be attending the Service of Thanksgiving due to her mobility issues and exhaustion. However, she did still take part in the Jubilee beacon lighting.
She actually walked quite a far way, and lit the beacons at Windsor Castle, while William was back in London. The Tree of Trees in London looks absolutely spectacular; I think that this was a wonderful part of the celebrations. (Beacons were also lit across the Commonwealth, though at different times.)
The Platinum Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving
Although I’m not practising (or Anglican), I was also looking forward to the service in spite of Her Majesty’s absence. This is another traditional event, and I appreciate the history of it. This was the Sussexes’ first public event for the Jubilee, and it looked to go very well. They seemed to enjoy themselves, and were getting along with those around them (the York sisters) and were chatting amiably with other members of the extended royal family. (Also, the Wessex ladies’ fashion was on point!)
In terms of the actual ceremony, I thought it was wonderful. The Archbishop of Canterbury was unable to attend due to Covid, so the Archbishop of York stepped in. His sermon where he compared The Queen’s reign to Aintree and Epsom was fantastic, and the whole family was entertained. The most controversial member of the family, Prince Andrew, also did not attend because of Covid, so the event actually went very well (aside from Her Majesty’s absence.)
Platinum Party at the Palace
Unfortunately, this wasn’t broadcast live here in Canada- no idea why, but CBC only carried the Thursday and Friday events. We watched it later in the evening here in Canada, and it was good fun! I will fully admit, I’m not a huge concert person so this was not a highlight for me. However, I thought that both Prince William and Prince Charles’ speeches were both fantastic, and perfect for the occasion. And seeing Prince George and Princess Charlotte was also great- it’s lovely that they are able to take part in these celebrations! I enjoyed that everyone got the memo about synchronised flag waving, good fun haha.
Overall Thoughts
I have to say, I am quite disappointed in the lack of participation/acknowledgement in Canada. Australia is quite close to holding another referendum on abolishing the monarchy- which seems like it will pass- and even they held celebrations. I’ve spoken with a few people in Ottawa who went to the beacon lighting ceremony there, it was barely announced with very few attending. Undoubtedly, the monarchy is in a shaky place in Canada, and rightfully so, but to ignore it entirely seems wrong. I’ve spoken to many other Canadians who were also feeling the lack energy.
While I am thrilled that Her Majesty was able to do her balcony appearances on Thursday (and possibly Sunday? this is going live before the pageant), I do think it points to the fact that a Regency might need to be seriously considered if it already has not been. At 96, I firmly believe she should be able to take it easy and not push herself, but the monarch (or the representative) does need to actually attend events. I hope that they are able to come to a new path over the coming months.
The events that I did see were wonderful. Like the Diamond Jubilee, I do feel like I was watching history in the making. The coverage in Canada hasn’t been great, but good enough. (I will be looking for other feeds over the next week.)
Your Platinum Jubilee Thoughts
As an historian, I am begging you- please write your Platinum Jubilee thoughts down somewhere! Firstly, it will be very interesting to be able to look back on your thoughts at a notable period in history. Secondly, historians like me love finding these types of sources later on.
If you would like to send me your thoughts on The Platinum Jubilee, please feel free to send me an email at AnHistorianAboutTown@gmail.com or a DM on Instagram or Twitter! I would love to hear about your thoughts on attending or watching, if anything stood out to you, where you think the monarchy goes from here, whatever you would like to share.
What are your Platinum Jubilee thoughts?
Cheers,
The Historian
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