The build-up to Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee this year is already well underway with numerous events and activities being planned to mark the historic occasion. A key event will be two garden parties hosted by the British monarch for those of her subjects born on the day she acceded to the throne half a century ago.
Guests at the parties in Edinburgh and London, which both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will attend, will have been born on February 6, 1952. Some 3,000 British citizens are thought to have made their entrance into the world on that day.
Those eligible can apply for one of the 3,500 available invitations by sending a copy of their birth certificate to their local Lord Lieutenants’ offices, the addresses of which can be obtained from local councils. People born in England, Wales or Northern Ireland will be invited to attend the Buckingham Palace event on July 9. Scotland’s party takes place at Holyroodhouse Palace on Saturday May 25.
In celebrating her Golden Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth joins a mere handful of British monarchs to mark 50 years at the helm – Henry III in 1266, Edward III in 1327, just before he died, George III in 1810, and Queen Victoria in 1887.
Although the Queen has set the tone for the year’s events herself by defining “no over-lavish expenditure” to mark the occasion, plans for street parties, a UK-wide tour by the monarch and a competition to crown four towns with city status are expected to involve millions of people.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
