From Wikipedia:
"Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II"
The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II is a multinational
celebration throughout 2012 marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of
Queen Elizabeth II of the United
Kingdom to the thrones of seven countries upon the death of
her father, King George VI, on 6
February 1952. She is today queen regnant of 16 sovereign states, 12 of which
were British colonies or Dominions
at the start of her reign. Following the tradition of jubilees past, a Diamond Jubilee medal
is being awarded in various countries and holidays and events will be held
throughout the Commonwealth. Plans were discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting 2011.
Commonwealth realms
Australia
Quentin Bryce, the Governor-General of Australia,
announced that the Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated "with a host of national
and community events throughout the Commonwealth."[29]
In that vein, it was said in late 2011 that the government of Queensland was planning to declare
a holiday in June 2012 to mark the jubilee and that Prince
Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,
would tour the country.[A detachment of the New
South Wales Mounted Police represented Australia at the Diamond Jubilee
Pageant held at Windsor. The Royal
Australian Mint announced in August 2011 that it will be releasing a silver
proof 50-cent coin to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. A special ecumenical service to
commemorate the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the
throne was conducted in St James' Church, Sydney. The
invited preacher was Cardinal George Pell and the Governor of New South Wales, Marie Bashir, was the guest
of honour. Paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of
Australia in the Australian House of Representatives in Canberra on 6
February 2012, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated the Queen was a revered
figure in Australia.[33] Gillard also
announced that she would on 4 June light a beacon atop Parliament House and a street in the
parliamentary triangle in Canberra would be renamed Queen Elizabeth Terrace. Meanwhile, Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett
announced on 28 May that a new waterfront development in Perth would be named
Elizabeth Quay in her honour. By coincidence the Jubilee Weekend coincided with
the inaugural Western Australia Day Public Holiday in Western Australia.
Bahamas
Prince
Harry toured The Bahamas. There, he attended a reception for youth leaders
and met with Governor-General of the Bahamas
Sir Arthur Foulkes.
The Prince attended an outdoor ceremony where children's schools, clubs, and
associations presented themselves and delivered a speech at Government House,[34] where he stated "I
stand before you with a deep sense of pride at being asked to convey to you a
message of good wishes from The Queen on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee."
He also took part in maritime exercises organised by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and
toured Harbour Island.
Barbado
To mark Elizabeth II's 60 years as Barbados' monarch — as Queen of the United
Kingdom between 1952 and 1966 and as Queen of Barbados thereafter — the country
hosted the Earl and Countess of Wessex between 23 and 24
February.The tour began
with Their Royal Highnesses arriving, aboard RFA Fort Rosalie, at the Deep Water
Harbour of Bridgetown.At the port,
Barbadian military personnel were given inspection.The Earl read to a joint sitting of the Parliament of Barbados a written message
from the Queen, in which the
monarch stated she has taken note of the level of development Barbados had
achieved during its 45 years of independence and called the country a model
small state for others around the world.
Parliamentary officials responded with thanks to the Queen for her service to
the country and Barbadians and invited her to the island to celebrate the 375th
anniversary of the Barbadian parliament in 2014.
The royal couple opened an exhibit at the University of the West Indies, Cave
Hill Campus, and an official state dinner and reception was held at Government House in the evening.As in other Commonwealth realms, a set of commemorative Diamond Jubilee
stamps were released by the Barbados Postal Service.An ecumenical
thanksgiving service will also be held at the St. Mary's Anglican Church in Bridgetown on 3 June and a beacon
lighting will take place at the Garrison Savannah the following day, where an official Trooping of the Colour will be performed
by the Barbados Defence Force and military tattoo
performed by the Royal Barbados Police Force.
Members of the Barbados Boys Scout Association with high honours were chosen to
aid in the actual beacon lighting.
Belize
In Belize, the Governor-General-in-Council and the
Belize Tourism Board organised a tour of the country by Prince
Harry, between 2 and 3 March 2012, as part of the country's celebrations of
Elizabeth II's 60th year as monarch of Belize, first as Queen of the United Kingdom and
then, after 1981, as Queen of Belize. Harry visited Belmopan and San Ignacio and ceremonies and events had less
emphasis on state protocol. In the
capital, Harry unveiled a series of commemorative stamps issued by the Belize
Postal Service, attended
the city's street festival, and dedicated a street as Queen Elizabeth II
Boulevard, where he delivered
a speech on the sovereign's behalf. The following day, the Prince journeyed to
the OAS Adjacency Zone on the
Belize-Guatemala border, where he participated in a cultural programme and
toured an immigration facility. He also visited Xunantunich and there met children involved with
the Belize Special Olympics Programme and presented a canoe to the Ruta Maya Organization in
commemoration of the diamond jubilee. Harry further visited the Price Barracks,
where he met members of the Belize Coast Guard Service and Belize Defence
Force and laid a wreath at the monument to British soldiers killed while on
service in Belize.
Canada
A Diamond Jubilee Week began on Accession Day (6 February) 2012.[69] That day, the
Queen's personal
standard for Canada was unfurled in Ottawa, both at the monarch's residence
Rideau Hall and on Parliament Hill, as well as at provincial royal residences and legislatures
across the country;permission was
granted by the Queen to break the usual protocol of flying the banner only where
the sovereign is personally present. At noon
on the same day, the Peace Tower carillon played a tribute to
the Queen. The Prime
Minister and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada issued
statements commending the Queen for her six decades of "dedicated service to our
country, to the Commonwealth and to the world." Also on 6 February, the first of the 60,000 Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond
Jubilee Medals to be distributed to citizens and permanent residents were
handed out; 60 individuals were given theirs personally by the Governor General
at Rideau Hall.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,
toured parts of the country in May, making stops
in New Brunswick,
Ontario, and Saskatchewan.[86]
In an editorial he wrote for The Globe and Mail, Charles stated he
wanted his activities during the tour to reflect the jubilee's "central theme of
service to others" and expressed that he was "returning to Canada in this
special Jubilee year, to renew my own pledge of service and to encourage others
to consider how they might contribute their own particular talent".
Jamaica
Prince Harry toured Jamaica between 5 and
8 March 2012,[participating in
various events marking his grandmother's Diamond Jubilee as Jamaica's queen
regnant, first as Queen of the United Kingdom,
between 1952 and 1962, and subsequently as Queen of Jamaica (Jamaica will also thus be
concurrently celebrating 50 years of independence). During the tour, the Prince
partook in military exercises with the Jamaica Defence Force, visited Bustamante
Hospital for Children and, in Trelawny Parish, visited Water Square, Falmouth
Pier, and the William Knibb Baptist Church, where he paid respect at the William Knibb memorial. The
Prince attended an event for the charity Rise Life,[112] ran with Usain Bolt at the latter's
training ground at the University of the West Indies, Mona. There, he was also
named an Honorary Fellow of the university. A Jamaica Night
reception was held at the Royal Caribbean Hotel in Montego Bay and Governor-General of Jamaica Sir Patrick
Allen hosted a dinner at King's House as a combined celebration
of the Diamond Jubilee and Jamaica's 50th anniversary of independence. The Prime
Minister, Portia Simpson Miller, stated the tour
was intended to "highlight the country's tourism developments on the North Coast
and the important work being done in the area of youth and children".
New Zealand
Sir Jerry
Mateparae, the Governor-General of New
Zealand, unveiled New Zealand's Diamond Jubilee emblem and announced a full
programme would be announced in due course.New Zealand Post and
the Reserve Bank of New Zealand
announced in January 2012 the release a silver proof dollar coin to celebrate
the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the following month the Ministry for Culture and
Heritage added Crown-related entries to Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of
New Zealand and an essay on the jubilee to NZ.History.net.nz. The Governor-General-in-Council also launched, via
the Ministry of Health, the Queen
Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Research Grant, "seeking to purchase research
projects that transfer knowledge from initiatives with proven effectiveness,
into practice in the health sector".
The New Zealand Army Band took part in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant held at
Windsor. The Band also took part in the changing of guard ceremony at Buckingham
Palace to celebrate the Jubilee.The Prime Minister, John Key,
moved a motion in the House of Representatives
congratulating the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee on 7 February.Prince Charles, Prince of Wales,and
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall will
tour New Zealand on behalf of the Queen in November.
Oceanic realms
Prince William, Duke of
Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
will visit the Solomon
Islands and Tuvalu.
Other Caribbean and West Indies realms
The Queen's realms throughout the Caribbean and West Indies are planning a
number of Diamond Jubilee events. Using RFAFort Rosalie, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex,
and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, will
visit other Caribbean realms, including: Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Saint
Lucia.[
Saint Kitts and
Nevis
Historical re-enactments were put on in Saint Kitts and Nevis for the Earl
and Countess of Wessex, who arrived on 3 March 2012.There, the
couple met with Governor-General
Sir Cuthbert
Sebastian, Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, and other dignitaries, watched
cultural shows (including the performance of a calypso song about the Queen), and the Earl unveiled a
plaque commemorating the Diamond Jubilee and officially designated the Basseterre Valley
Park as the Royal Basseterre Valley Park. They also visited Brimstone Hill Fortress
National Park and the children's ward of the JNF Hospital and the Children's
Home before attending a state dinner and fireworks display at Port Zante.
Saint Lucia
The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrived in Saint Lucia on 21 February 2012
and there participated in Independence Day celebrations and attended receptions
held by the Governor-General of Saint
Lucia.They also
visited the Association of Saint Lucia and the Saint Lucia School of Music.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a Diamond Jubilee Celebrations Committee
was established to oversee events staged to mark, between February and June
2012, the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II's accession as queen regnant of the
country, from 1952 to 1979 as Queen of the United Kingdom and
thereafter as Queen of Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines. The committee head, former Minister of Culture Rene
Baptiste, stated the aim was to "showcase what we have to offer, as well as our
loyalty to the Parliament..." The Earl and Countess of Wessex, aboard RFA Fort
Rosalie, arrived for their tour of country on 25 February and visited
the restored Botanic Gardens St. Vincent and
planted a Pink Poui tree, attended an official lunch at Government House, and
planted Royal Palms on the Grenadines.
United Kingdom
On 5 January 2010, the Lord President of the Council and
Business
Secretary Lord
Mandelson announced that an extra bank holiday would take place on 5 June 2012.[1][129][135] By moving
the Spring Bank Holiday (the last Monday in May) to 4 June, this will result in
a four-day holiday in honour of the Diamond Jubilee.[1][136] As
national holidays are a devolved matter, Scotland's first
minister confirmed that the bank holiday would be held on 5 June in
Scotland. Some economists later theorised that the holiday could reduce the
country's gross domestic product by 0.5% in the second quarter of the year,
though this would be partially offset by increased sales for the hospitality and
merchandise sectors.
Many events were staged in London during the bank holiday weekend.[136] The River Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
was held on 3 June. The Diamond Jubilee Concert, with a
preceding afternoon picnic in the palace gardens for the 10,000 concert ticket
holders,[138][139][140]
was held the following day, in front of Buckingham Palace, and featured acts
representing each decade of the Queen's 60 year reign. The final day of the official Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations included a
morning Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, attended by the
Queen and members of the royal family. Will Todd’s anthem The Call of
Wisdom, commissioned especially for this event, was performed by the Diamond
Choir made up of about 40 children from all around the UK.[143][144]
Permanent tribute
A stained glass window, paid for by MPs and members of the House of Lords,
was unveiled in the Queen's presence at Westminster Hall in
March 2012.[159] In addition, a
majority of MPs have endorsed a proposal to name the clock tower of Westminster
Palace that houses Big Ben, the
Elizabeth Tower.[160]
Overseas territories
Prince Richard, Duke of
Gloucester, toured the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in March
2012. On Montserrat, he met
participants in the Sailability BVI programme, including Special Olympics
medallists, and staff and associates of the Eslyn Henley Ritchie Learning
Centre, BVI Technical and Vocational Institute, BVI Services, and the Department
of Youth Affairs and Sports.[167]
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex,
and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, will
visit the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, between 11–13 June 2012,[168]
and Montserrat.[when?][31] The Spanish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation expressed "upset and concern"
about the couple's tour of Gibraltar, which Spain claims as Spanish
territory.[168]
Other Commonwealth
countries
Visits are planned by Princess Anne to Zambia and Mozambique,
while the Duke of Gloucester will make
official visits to Uganda and Malta. In Asia, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, will
visit India, while Prince William, Duke of
Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of
Cambridge, will make visits to Malaysia and Singapore.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex,
and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, visited
Trinidad and Tobago, as did Governor General of Canada David Johnston.
South Africa
The British Consulate in Cape Town,in conjunction
with the Hout Bay and Llandudno Heritage Trust will host a firing of ancient
muzzle loading cannons at East Fort in Hout Bay, which once formed part of the
multiple defences of the historic Cape of Good Hope.
The Heritage Trust has held firings for numerous events, including previous
functions associated with Britain, India, Holland, France and during a visit of
a NATO fleet to Cape Town, the most recent being the visit of the Royal Navy
frigate HMS Montrose in February 2012.A flotilla from the Royal Cape Yacht Club will sail past the Hildebrand
Ristorante and into-the Victoria Basin and the Cape Town Highlanders will march
from Ferryman's to Nobel Square. British Consul General Chris Trott will light a
beacon, followed by a further six-gun salute and both South African and British
national anthems, to mark the 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II's service to her
people and the people of the world.
Other countries
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, a British dependent territory and the
most populous one until 1997, had The Big Jubilee Lunch on 3 June 2012,
organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society in Hong
Kong. On 5 June 2012, there will be a service of thanksgiving at the
territory's Anglican St. John's
Cathedral.
^ Just wanted to show what the other countries and territories of the British Commonwealth did to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Most of the celebrations centered in London, but Queen Elizabeth is a separate Queen to many countries in the Commonwealth Realms as well as Head of State to dozens of Commonwealth countries. ^
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Jubilee_of_Elizabeth_II
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