Queen’s Golden Jubilee

  

The
year 2002 marks the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Accession
to the Throne.

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queenThe year 2002 marked the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Accession to the Throne.

The celebrations did not fall on the actual 50th anniversary of the Queen’s accession. Queen Elizabeth came to the throne on 6 February 1952 at the age of 25 on the death of her father King George VI. She was crowned in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953 in a spectacular ceremony watched by a huge television audience.

Traditionally, Royal jubilee celebrations mark the anniversary of Accession. However, The Queen’s Accession Day on 6 February is the anniversary of the death of King George VI, her father. It was, therefore, not a suitable date for public celebration. The main celebrations for the Silver Jubilee in 1977 were also held in June.

How the Country celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Queen’s accession.

A nationwide royal tour and a star-studded concert at Buckingham Palace was the heart of celebrations for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. The palace grounds were open to the public for the first time for the free pop concert.

The
main celebrations of the 50th anniversary of The Queen’s Accession
to
the Throne took place between May and July 2002 See
timetable of events

  • An
    additional public holiday, on     June
    4    , allowed four days of celebrations of Her Majesty’s
    50-year reign. The Spring Bank Holiday, which had been due
    to fall
    on 27 May, was moved.

  • On
    Saturday     June 1, a Classical
    concert     was held in Buckingham Palace
    Gardens.

  • Sunday
    June 2 saw Jubilee Church services
    and bell-ringing across the UK.

  • There
    was a     Pop concert in Buckingham Palace Gardens
    followed by Beacon-Lighting and Firework display on     June 3.

  • Jubilee
    Day     wason June 4. The Queen attended a National Service of Thanksgiving
    in St Paul’s Cathedral and during the afternoon there was
    a Golden
    Jubilee Carnival Pageant in the Mall.

  • The
    Queen undertook several trips around the United Kingdom
    between
    May and July 2002. The trips included England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
    Ireland. See table at the bottom of the page.

  • There was also
    an     equestrian
    extravaganza     involving 1,000 horses
    and a celebrity cast of about 2,000. "All the Queen’s
    Horses" was staged
    at the 2002 Royal Windsor Horse Show against the backdrop of Windsor
    Castle on     16, 17 and 18 May 2002. The finale of the show recreated the 1952 Coronation
    procession, which featured the Gold State Coach pulled
    by eight
    grey horses.

  • The
    Commonwealth Games, was opened by The
    Queen in Manchester on     25 July.

  • The Queen also tour Commonwealth countries, including Canada, in the autumn.
  • A UK town was granted city status by The Queen to mark the Jubilee.
  • Children were given special lessons about the Commonwealth and Britain’s imperial history.
  • A new covered footbridge across the River Thames. The bridge known as Jubilee Bridge and is the first covered bridge across the Thames since the building of the original London Bridge in 1176.


Find
out about the UK
Flag
The
Queen’s outline itinerary of Golden Jubilee visits in 2002

Date

Location

1 – 2 May South West
of England (including Cornwall, Devon and Somerset)
7
– 8 May		 North
East of England (including Tyne and Wear and Durham)
10 May South East
of England (Buckinghamshire and Berkshire)
 16-18
May		  All
the Queen’s Horses, a multi-million pound Golden Jubilee equestrian spectacular
in Windsor
23 – 29 May Scotland

1 – 4
June

(Find out more)

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Jubilee
Weekend in Windsor and London (In detail)



Classical Concert in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.

Jubilee church services and bell-ringing across the UK.

Pop Concert in the Palace grounds.

The Queen will attend a National Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, followed by a Golden Jubilee lunch at Guildhall in the City of London.

7
June		 The
South East of England (West Sussex)
11 – 13 June Wales More
info.
17
June		 The
Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will attend the Service of the Order of
the Garter at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Followed by a Dinner for European
Sovereigns, Windsor Castle

 
18-22
June		 The
Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will attend Royal Ascot
25
June 		West
London.

Uxbridge – The Queen will unveil the statue “Anticipation” created
by Anita Lafford. Followed by a visit to Gunnersbury Park and All Saints
Parish Church, Kingston-upon-Thames. They will then travel to Bushy Park
to meet a number of local charities and childrens groups.
 26
June 		Dinner
for representatives of the Armed Services, Windsor Castle
27
June		 Visit
to the Armed Forces, Portsmouth
2 – 3 July West Midlands
(including Staffordshire and Warwickshire) More
info.
11
– 12 July		 Yorkshire
and the Humber (including West Yorkshire and the East Riding)
17 – 18 July East of England
(including Suffolk and Norfolk) More
info.
24
– 26 July		 North
West of England (including Merseyside and opening the Commonwealth Games
in Manchester)
31 July -1 August East Midlands
(including Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire), and Yorkshire
and the Humber (North Lincolnshire)
4
August		 Closing
the Commonwealth Games in Manchester
5 August North West
of England (Lancashire) More
info.


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