Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was the first time that any monarch in British history celebrated a platinum jubilee, as is the case in the histories of the other Commonwealth realms.
| Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II | |
|---|---|
From top, left to right: Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace; Jubilee beacon at Mount Snowdon, Wales; flyover at renaming ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II Island, Australia; the Platinum Pudding; Families from the British Embassy Washington planting jubilee trees along Massachusetts Avenue; Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaking at a Service of Celebration in Wellington, New Zealand | |
| Genre | Jubilee of the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth |
| Date(s) | 6 February 2022 |
| Country | |
| Previous event | Sapphire Jubilee of Elizabeth II |
| Website | See list |
Initiatives to commemorate the jubilee were announced by the governments of many realms—including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the United Kingdom—of territories, such as the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar, and celebrations were also held in other Commonwealth member states, like the Gambia, Malaysia, Malta, Pakistan, and Samoa. Leaders from across the world, including from China, North Korea, France, Germany, Israel, and the United States, sent messages of congratulations to the Queen on reaching the milestone. In the United Kingdom, there was an extra bank holiday on 3 June and the usual spring bank holiday was moved from the end of May to 2 June to create the four-day Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend from Thursday, 2 June, to Sunday, 5 June. Commemorative stamps and coins were issued by several Commonwealth nations and beacons were lit in every Commonwealth capital for the first time. In many places, trees were planted in the Queen's honour.
The Queen died in her Platinum Jubilee year, on 8 September, at the age of 96. Her funeral was held on 19 September 2022 and she was buried at the King George VI Memorial Chapel later that day.