Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II

Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
London Eye floodlit in gold in celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee
Union Street, Aberdeen, decorated with buntings and banners to commemorate the Golden Jubilee
A special fly-past of Concorde and the Red Arrows for the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations
The Queen's Golden Jubilee Floral display at Stafford, 2002
Equestrian statue of the Queen at Windsor Great Park commissioned by the Crown Estate in honour of the Golden Jubilee
One of London's special Golden Jubilee AEC Routemaster buseses, adorned in special gold livery to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee
Collage of commemorations of the jubilee, Clockwise: The London Eye illuminated in gold; Concorde parade flight with the Red Arrows; Flower arrangement in Stafford; Routemaster in Golden Jubilee livery; Equestrian statue of the Queen erected in Windsor Park; Union Street in Aberdeen with Golden Jubilee bunting
GenreJubilee of the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
Date(s)6 February 2002
Country
Previous eventRuby Jubilee of Elizabeth II
Next eventDiamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II
Websitegoldenjubilee.gov.uk

The Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration held in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50 years as monarch and an opportunity for her to officially and personally thank her people for their loyalty.[1][2]

Despite the deaths of her sister, Princess Margaret, and her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, in February and March 2002 respectively, and predictions in the media that the anniversary would be a non-event, the jubilee was marked with large-scale and popular events throughout London in June of the same year, bookended by events throughout the Commonwealth realms. Elizabeth attended all of the official celebrations as scheduled, along with her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; over twelve months, the royal couple journeyed more than 40,000 miles (64,000 km) to the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, then around the United Kingdom, and wrapped up the jubilee year in Canada.[1] Numerous landmarks, parks, buildings, and the like, were also named in honour of the golden jubilee and commemorative medals, stamps, and other symbols were issued.

There were six key themes of the Golden Jubilee celebrations: 'Celebration', 'Giving Thanks', 'Service', 'Involving the Whole Community', 'Looking Forward as Well as Back', and 'Commonwealth'.[3]

  1. ^ a b The Royal Household. "Her Majesty The Queen > Jubilees and other milestones > Golden Jubilee > 50 facts about The Queen's Golden Jubilee". Queen's Printer. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  2. ^ Blair, Tony (23 November 2000). "House of Commons Debate". In House of Commons Library; Pond, Chris (eds.). Golden Jubilee 2002 (PDF). Westminster: Queen's Printer (published 13 January 2003). p. 5. SN/PC/1435. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  3. ^ "Jubilee Themes". Archived from the original on 2 February 2002.