Dates confirmed for extra four-day Bank Holiday in 2022 to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

2 June 2021, 11:27 | Updated: 26 January 2022, 14:07

By Alice Dear

Brits will be treated to a special four-day Bank Holiday weekend next year to mark the Queen's 70 years on the throne, also known as a Platinum Jubilee.

Buckingham Palace have confirmed the dates of the extra four-day Bank Holiday weekend to mark the Platinum Jubilee of the Queen.

Brits will be able to celebrate Her Majesty's reign from Thursday June 2 to June 5 next year.

The celebrations will mark 70 years of the Queen's time of the throne, a milestone no British Monarch has ever reached before.

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Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the extra bank holiday will "provide an opportunity for communities and people to come together and celebrate the historic milestone".

The Queen and other members of the royal family will be travelling across the country close to this time to undertake a number of special engagements.

The celebrations will include a special party and concert at the palace, a Derby at Epsom Racecourse and, of course, the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

The iconic Trooping the Colour celebrations have been cancelled two years in a row now due to the coronavirus pandemic, but are set to return next year with a bang.

Around 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will be included in the ceremony, which sees the royal family take to the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the fly-past.

In the statement released today, the Palace said: "An extended bank holiday, from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June, will provide an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom to come together to celebrate the historic milestone.

"The four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service."

What is a Platinum Jubilee?

A Platinum Jubilee is a celebration to mark an anniversary, in this context, 70 years since the Queen was crowned.

The Queen marked her Silver Jubilee in 1977, her Golden Jubilee in 2022, her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and her Sapphire Jubilee in 2017.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's coronation took place on June 2 in 1953, she was only 25-years-old at the time.

She acceded the throne following the death of her father, George VI, who passed away at the age of 56-years-old following a battle with lung cancer.

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