Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Four-day bank holiday, live concert, and much more to celebrate Queen’s platinum jubilee

Four-day bank holiday, live concert, and much more to celebrate Queen’s platinum jubilee

A FOUR-DAY bank holiday weekend next year is a highlight of events announced by Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen's platinum jubilee next year as the monarch marks 70 years on the throne.

 


The 2022 summer break will run from Thursday (June 2) until Sunday (June 5), with the late May bank holiday moving to June 2 to allow the extended break.

There will be a host of national-level celebrations, including a live concert at Buckingham Palace featuring some of the world's biggest stars, a service of thanksgiving, and the Queen’s own highlight, a day at the races.

The events will mark the Queen's 70-year reign, a milestone she will have reached on February 6 next year though the first week in June has been chosen as the celebratory weekend due to better chances of good weather than in February.

Members of the royal family including the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and other members of the monarchy will attend various events, though individual members of the royal family have yet to be named in the plans.

The weekend will begin on Thursday with trooping the colour, which will be staged in full for the first time since the pandemic, with more than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians expected to be in attendance.

Platinum jubilee beacons will also be lit throughout the UK, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK overseas territories, a tradition used to celebrate royal jubilees, weddings and coronations, with ceremonial bonfires planned to set ablaze in each of the capital cities of the Commonwealth countries for the first time.

A service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral on the second day, followed by the live concert at the palace on Saturday, when the queen will be joined by members of the Royal Family at the Derby.

On the final day of the break, there will be Big Jubilee Lunch with street parties held across the country. That day's events will also include the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, which will feature 5,000 people from the UK and the Commonwealth performing around the area of Buckingham Palace.

In keeping with tradition, a platinum jubilee medal will be awarded to people in public service, including representatives of the armed forces, the emergency services and the prison services. There will also be year-long Platinum Jubilee celebrations throughout the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world, the palace said.

More For You

Southport stabbings: Terrorism watchdog rejects definition change

FILE PHOTO: Riot police hold back protesters near a burning police vehicle in Southport, England (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Southport stabbings: Terrorism watchdog rejects definition change

TERRORISM watchdog has rejected calls to redefine terrorism following last summer's tragic Southport murders, while recommending a new offence to tackle those intent on mass killings without clear ideological motives.

Jonathan Hall KC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, published his highly anticipated report on Thursday (13), concluding that the existing definition of terrorism should remain unchanged despite growing concerns about violent attackers with unclear motives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Commonwealth wreath-laying ceremony held in London

A military piper, choir, and the Sikh soldiers of the British Army took part in the ceremony.

Commonwealth wreath-laying ceremony held in London

A WREATH-LAYING ceremony was held at the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill in London on 10 March to honour Commonwealth servicemen and women who fought in the First and Second World Wars.

Lord Boateng, chairman of the Memorial Gates Council, led the event, highlighting the importance of remembering those who served.

Keep ReadingShow less
Student visas

The ongoing negotiations focus specifically on business mobility, addressing only the relevant business visas

iStock

Student visas excluded from UK-India FTA talks, says government

THE government last week clarified that only temporary business mobility visas are part of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

Other types of visas, such as student visas, will not be included in the trade deal, it was revealed during a debate in the House of Lords.

Keep ReadingShow less
India Detains Crypto Administrator Wanted by US for Laundering

Aleksej Besciokov, was charged with money laundering and accused of violating sanctions and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, according to the US Justice Department. (Photo: US Secret Service)

India arrests crypto administrator wanted by US for money laundering

INDIAN authorities have arrested a cryptocurrency exchange administrator at the request of the United States on charges of money laundering conspiracy and sanctions violations, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Wednesday.

The arrest follows a joint operation by the United States, Germany, and Finland, which dismantled the online infrastructure of Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Starmer said that the change would free up funds for doctors, nurses, and frontline services while reducing red tape to accelerate improvements in the health system. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer scraps NHS England, brings health service under ministerial control

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has abolished NHS England, bringing the health service under direct ministerial control.

The decision reverses a key reform introduced by former health secretary Andrew Lansley during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, The Guardian reported.

Keep ReadingShow less