Queen's Platinum Jubilee To Be A Source of Joy For Crisis-Ridden UK

Platinum Jubilee celebrations that mark 70 years of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II’s reign are a much-needed source of joy for most UK citizens facing the cost of living crisis.

A special extended four-day bank holiday weekend in June has been announced from June 2-5, 2022, in the United Kingdom to celebrate the Queen becoming the first British Monarch in the Royal history to celebrate a platinum jubilee.

On February 6, 2022, Her Majesty The Queen became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. It marked 70 years of her tireless service dedicated to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.

Platinum Jubilee Events

Several events and programmes will be taking place throughout 2022, highlighting this unique Platinum Jubilee milestone of Her Majesty.

The four-day special UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5 2022, will witness many special events that include:

June 2 events

Trooping the Colour, where 1200 officers and soldiers and hundreds of Army musicians and around 240 horses will take part.
Firing of the Royal Gun during the Queen’s birthday parade

Watching the events via many large screens that have been set up in St James’ Park, plus watching the events live on BBC and Sky Television.

After the Royal Procession returns to Buckingham Palace, there will be the traditional appearance of the Royal Family on the balcony. A flypast of the RAF will also happen during the Royal Family’s balcony appearance.

There will be Platinum Jubilee beacons lit all over the UK. Such beacons constitute part of the tradition of celebrating Royal Jubilees, weddings and coronations. Beacons were lit In 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Beacons were lit again in 1977, 2002 and 2012 to commemorate the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of Her Majesty, including the Queen’s 90th birthday. As part of the current Platinum Jubilee Celebrations 2022, over 1,500 beacons will be lit all over the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories. The Principal beacon will be lit in Buckingham Palace on June 2. Along with this beacon, there will be Community Beacons and Commonwealth Beacons lit by communities, charities, and all 54 capital cities of the Commonwealth.

June 3 event

A thanksgiving service will be organised at St Paul’s Cathedral where the largest church bell in the country,’ Great Paul’ will be rung. This will be the 1st royal occasion that ‘Great Paul’ will be rung.

June 4 event

The Queen and Members of the Royal Family will be attending the Derby at Epsom Downs. The Platinum Party will follow this at Buckingham Palace. The celebrations will have entertainment celebrities performing musical tributes to celebrate the occasion. Many acts will perform on an impressive stage in front of 20,000 people.

June 5 event

There will be Big Jubilee Lunches across the UK during the Platinum celebration weekend. World record attempts will also be made to organise the longest street party and BBQs. Values of community friendship, food and fun will be on full display as almost 10 million people join in the celebrations.

About 600 Big jubilee lunches will also be held throughout the Commonwealth and in countries including Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa and Switzerland.

Over 60 thousand have registered in the UK to host Big Jubilee Lunches and spread joy and positive vibes in hearts everywhere.

Platinum Jubilee Pageant will be organised, with the Gold State Carriage led by the Sovereign’s Escort. The Pageant will end with the singing of the National Anthem and a gospel choir to the sounds of the band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. Major celebrities from the world of music, film, sports and the arts will participate in this Pageant, along with military personnel and volunteers.

As part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, Her Majesty’s face has also been projected onto two famous national heritage sites, namely Stonehenge and the Marble Arch. The photographs depict her personality and her interests.

Platinum Jubilee Celebrations Amid Crisis

Amid all this celebration, laughter, and smiles, a dark cloud hangs over many people in the UK. This dark cloud has an ominous shadow of the financial crisis, debt crisis, energy crisis and cost of living crisis that follows many Britons everywhere. This cloud has masked the proverbial sunny mornings of hope and happiness that many Britishers want to experience but cannot due to their life struggles.

During the Golden Jubilee Celebrations in 2002, Her Majesty The Queen made a poignant statement. This statement is as true today as when the Queen said it at the time. She said her role was “guiding this kingdom through the changing times…Change has become a constant; managing it has become an expanding discipline.”

The United Kingdom is going through a painful change today. Many of its low-income residents are now forced to live in unexpectedly tricky times financially. Even the government benefits being availed by them are not helping them tackle their cost of living crisis. They are sad, depressed and in debt.

Many are forced to choose and save for either eating (providing for their family) or heating (providing warmth to their family in the harsh winter weather).

Crisis Facts & Stats

The ‘Cost of Living’ crisis essentially means a fall in income that people in the UK have experienced since late 2021. Millions of UK households have been forced to stretch their income to cover the cost of living. The government has taken due note of this fact and taken measures to support its citizens financially.

Government Initiatives

UK government is providing over £15 billion in further support. This is in addition to over £22 billion announced previously. This means that about 8 million most vulnerable households to get one-off support of £1,200 this year.

Govt has doubled Energy Bills Support Scheme to a one-off £400.

Govt to give £650 as a one-off cost of Living Payment for those on means-tested benefits.

Govt to give One-off £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment and £150 one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment.

Govt has announced an increase and extension of the Household Support Fund to £500m

Pain & Distress

Almost 90% of British households have expressed that their cost of living has gone up since May 2022 due to the rise in fuel, food and borrowing costs.

As for low and middle-income households, several people surveyed by the Office for National Statistics said they struggled to pay their bills. Moreover, 17% of those surveyed had to resort to taking loans or borrowing on credit cards to make ends meet for their family.

Many debt charities and anti-poverty campaigners in the UK have said that the current crisis figures and state of low-income households were a shocking reminder that this year they are facing the most significant cut in their living standards since the 1950s.

The Platinum Jubilee celebrations will go on in full swing in 2022 in the UK. But it is essential to remember Her Majesty’s words yet again when The Queen said in a speech, “Distance can lend an extra dimension to judgement, giving it a leavening of moderation and compassion – even of wisdom that is sometimes lacking in the reactions of those whose task it is in life to offer instant opinions.”

Distance, Compassion, and Wisdom are words Her Majesty used after much thought. Today the crisis that the UK faces is now, not distant.

Compassion and wisdom need to be the go-to power sources for both the government and the influential in the UK. They need to brainstorm and execute solutions that will make the residents of the United Kingdom smile again even after the Platinum Jubilee celebrations have ended.