Platinum Jubilee

 Platinum Jubilee

It was the week leading up to that extraordinary anniversary we've all been looking forward to. Of course the rabid anti monarchists will always quibble or complain about the event because they may have no sense of the glorious magnitude of the occasion. After three years of closure, denial, suppression, at times frightening bewilderment, Britain can finally throw away its cares, woes, travails, traumas and confusing anxieties. 

On Thursday evening through to Friday and the rest of the weekend Her Majesty the Queen will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. In 1952 Her Majesty the Queen received quite the most dreadful piece of news that any young woman could possibly get. Her father, King George the Sixth, had died peacefully in his sleep. A nation mourned its King and Her Majesty would quite suddenly been handed the most thankless responsibility of any future monarch. A year later Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second would become Queen of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth. The Coronation would be a year later.

In 1953, with Britain still recovering from the pain and horrific suffering of the Second World War, Britain would welcome into their homes a young Queen. Coronation Day in London would become one of the most resplendent and momentous occasions the nation would ever see. For a vast majority of the population, rationing and austerity were still biting deep into the nation's welfare. The country was still dependent on food coupons and everybody had to economise on a monumental scale while the luxuries the British had taken for granted before the War would now be cut back dramatically. 

But from those early days of the 1950s the country could still find comfort in the very regal presence of a very young Queen who had to learn fairly rapidly all of the etiquette and protocol expected of royalty. From the moment the crown was placed on her head, Her Majesty declared quite magisterially that whether her life be long or short, duty and service would take precedence to every other consideration. And so it came to pass 70 years later that Her Majesty will continue to be a shining beacon of devotion to her country and Commonwealth regardless of setbacks, disasters and family upheavals. 

Over the weekend Britain will throw away all of its inhibitions, modesty and reserve to make way for the most remarkable party of all time, a knees up in the old fashioned way, a stunning celebration that may never be matched for quite a while. We'll be singing at the tops of our voices, eating and drinking to the point of unashamed excess and the children will be having the time of their lives. Jubilees very rarely make their carbon footprint on the nation's pavements and parks. Now though blow the expense and let's go stir crazy. Three cheers for Her Majesty.

In 2012 the Queen marked her Diamond Jubilee and in 1977 her Silver Jubilee so these shindigs come along only intermittently. But the principle will remain the same. All around the country, streets and roads, tightly knit communities, recreation grounds, village halls and all manner of salubrious environments will be hosting their very own tribute to Her Majesty, an expression of gratitude that may be extremely touching.

They'll be digging out the bunting, the washing lines of Union Jacks, trestle tables by the million, chairs for young and old, more flags, thousands of sandwiches, crisps, cakes, biscuits and confectionery to keep all appetites satisfied for ages. They'll be dusting off those old Coronation cups, plates, crockery and cutlery, the familiar party records from many moons ago and a glorious smattering of old, wartime vinyl recorded by Dame Vera Lynn, the Glen Miller Orchestra and the British national treasures who lifted everybody's morale when everything looked so bleak and forlorn.

The weekend schedule is gradually beginning to unfold before our eyes. Buckingham Palace has now been transformed into a huge pop concert venue. It is hard to imagine what exactly has been planned but it could be very uplifting and joyous. Maybe Queen's Brian May will climb onto the roof of Buckingham Palace and give us a stirring twang on one of his many electric guitars. But music of course will have to be regarded as a centrepiece of the celebrations.

You would find it hard to believe that Her Majesty has got copies of a Night at the Opera and Day at the Races in her record collection but it's a lovely thought. After all Bohemian Rhapsody has a stamp of royalty about it and the Queen may well have appreciated the classical nature of this rock opera masterpiece.

So here we 70 years after Her Majesty came to the throne and still she smiles, still she remains a model of politeness, propriety, courtesy and refinement. Wherever she travels- and you can be sure she's circumnavigated the globe several times over the decades - she has carried out her duties with an astonishing poise and sangfroid that always amaze and leave you breathless with admiration.

Sadly Her Majesty will be without the one man she's always referred to as her strength and stay. When Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen's husband of 73 years died last spring, the Queen lost not only her closest friend and lovingly supportive influence, she also lost the man who always preferred to keep out of the limelight. Then we discovered he didn't really mind the publicity. We marvelled at the Duke's Polo playing, the endearing carriage driving, the perhaps forgivably tactless comments and all of his opinionated comments about everything from the environment to modern architecture. 

And then on Friday the festivities will begin with some haste. The gold carriages will be readied, the horses groomed immaculately and then the procession will wend its way down the Mall before heading to their right royal banquet. We'll remember where we were there in early June 1953 for Her Majesty's Coronation, how as a teenager we unfortunately missed the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 and the recent Diamond Jubilee. We'll watch the whole grandeur and spectacle with deeply respectful eyes before acknowledging the deep and lasting impact Her Majesty has had on us for the last 70 years. Your Royal Highness we have nothing but unwavering admiration for you. Let's celebrate everybody.