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.
Some panic-stricken commuters reportedly considered jumping off the trains, but were eventually rescued safely (PTI photo)
