Last Updated on: 29th June 2023, 02:10 am
Queen Elizabeth makes statement ahead of Platinum Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II said on Wednesday her British subjects and Commonwealth countries should look to the future with “confidence and enthusiasm” as they prepare to celebrate a record 70-year reign on the throne.
Four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations will take place from Thursday as Britons face a surge in inflation not seen since the 1970s and many households struggle to put food on the table and afford big bills.
The historic anniversary also brings doubts about the future of the monarchy once the increasingly fragile 96-year-old ruler leaves the stage.
But in a jubilee message, Elizabeth thanked everyone involved in organizing activities from the local to the national level across the UK and across the 54 Commonwealth countries.
“I know that these festive occasions will create many fond memories,” he said.
“I continue to be inspired by the goodwill that has been shown to me and I hope that the coming days will be an opportunity to look back on all that has been achieved over the past 70 years as we look forward with confidence and enthusiasm.”
As dusk drew near on Thursday, the Queen was due to light a memorial fire at Windsor Castle, west of London. It will be one of more than 3,000 to be lit across the UK and its Overseas Territories.
Others will light up across the Commonwealth, beginning with Tonga and Samoa in the Pacific and ending in the Caribbean and Canada.
– ‘Bigger Than Christmas’ –
With two bank holidays beginning on Thursday and then running through the weekend, UK pubs, restaurants, and shopkeepers are hoping for a speedy sales recovery after a difficult period including the Covid pandemic.
The supermarket chain Co-op has forecast “a longer sales period than Christmas”.
Royal enthusiasts from near and far camped out on The Mall, a red-paved avenue leading to Buckingham Palace, despite torrential downpours.
“It’s the only way you can make sure you’re in front of the barrier when that royal coronation carriage comes by, that golden carriage,” Mary-Jane Willows, 68, from Cornwall, south-west England, told AFP.
“It’s going to be the most magical moment,” he said.
But with Prince Charles taking on more of his mother’s duties on state occasions, it looks like the first platinum jubilee in British history, and possibly the last, will mark a turning point.
Also Read: Queen Elizabeth is gradually delegating royal duties on health issues
A poll in The Sun newspaper this week gave the Queen a 91.7% approval rating. Charles only had 67.5%, behind his son Prince William with 87.4%.
In Australia, where the Queen is also head of state, new center-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed a “deputy minister of the republic” to oversee what he called an ‘inevitable’ transition.
Also Read: The Queen received an unusual gift to greet the crowd
