Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced details of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee - a three-month extravaganza to mark the 50th anniversary of her reign. The festivities, which kick off in April, will include a nationwide tour, a pop concert featuring British music legends and a gala dinner for Europe’s royalty.
The first event will be an April 29 dinner for the Queen hosted by Tony Blair and attended by a number of ex-premiers, including Baroness Thatcher and John Major. The occasion will be only the fifth time a PM has invited the Queen to dinner at 10 Downing Street in half a century.
More than 200 official visits have been confirmed for the Queen and Prince Philip during the Jubilee programme to take place between April 29 and August 7. The royal couple plans to visit every part of the community in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as a “thank you” for the nation’s support over the last five decades.
The highlight of the landmark celebrations is the extended Golden Jubilee weekend from June 1-4. The four-day celebrations include two free concerts in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and the England v Sweden World Cup match, all of which will be shown on giant screens across central London. A classical evening concert will be held Saturday night, while all eyes will be on England’s big game on Sunday. Monday’s big event is a star-studded pop concert, with Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger expected to perform. Free tickets for the Palace concerts - 14,000 for each show – will be distributed by ballot next month.
After the concert, the Queen will light a beacon at the Victoria Memorial in The Mall outside the Palace, the first of more than 500 beacons that will be lit throughout the Commonwealth. The lighting will be followed by a mammoth fireworks display across the Mall from the Palace to Trafalgar Square.
Later that month, Her Royal Highness will host a private dinner for the kings and queens of Europe at Windsor Castle. The June 17 gala event is expected to be one of the biggest gatherings of royalty in recent memory.
The summer celebrations are also to include street parties, royal processions, and two palace garden parties: one for those born on the day of the Queen’s accession, February 6, 1952, and another for under-25s. Following her tour of the set of EastEnders last year, the Queen also plans to make a trip to the fictional village of long-running soap Emmerdale in July.
The release of the jam-packed schedule has put to rest concerns about a perceived lack of excitement over the Golden Jubilee celebrations. “It is taking off… When I hear question marks about people’s enthusiasm, I wonder if I am on a different planet,” said the Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Weekend Trust, Lord Sterling.
Throughout the celebrations, the Queen will fulfil all of her usual commitments.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
