Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
The Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. ( Engl. Silver Jubilee ) was in 1977, the 25th anniversary of the enthronement of the British Queen Elizabeth II. On this occasion were celebrations in various Commonwealth realm instead. Elisabeth and her husband Prince Philip paid visits to three dozen countries. The highlight was the Jubilee Days in June, which were accompanied by countless street festivals.
Visits at home and abroad
The actual anniversary of the accession to the throne was celebrated on February 6, 1977 as part of church services. This was the prelude to an extensive tour of the Queen and her husband Prince Philip through various Commonwealth Realms in Oceania . It lasted until the end of March and was marked by numerous official events and meetings with the population. The royal couple traveled through Great Britain from mid-May to mid-August. During these three months they visited 36 different counties in Scotland , England , Wales and Northern Ireland . No British monarch before Elizabeth II had traveled to more parts of the United Kingdom in such a short period of time than she. Another overseas trip in October took Elisabeth and Philip through Canada and the Caribbean .
Main celebrations in London
The Queen lit a large bonfire at Windsor Castle on June 6th to mark the start of a string of bonfires across the country. On the morning of June 7th, the royal family went to St Paul's Cathedral in a procession ; around a million people lined the streets. The official guests of the thanksgiving service there included the American President Jimmy Carter and the British incumbent Prime Minister James Callaghan , as well as all surviving former Prime Ministers ( Harold Macmillan , Alec Douglas-Home , Harold Wilson and Edward Heath ). A banquet followed in the Guildhall ; The host was Peter Vanneck, the Lord Mayor of London . After the banquet, the move went back to Buckingham Palace . Around 500 million people in the Commonwealth of Nations are said to have seen the live broadcast. Also on June 7th, countless street parties took place across the country, with over 4,000 in London alone .
On June 9, the Queen embarked on a solemn boat trip on the Thames from Greenwich to Lambeth , a re-enactment of the famous boat trips of her predecessor Elizabeth I in the 16th century. A big fireworks display in the evening rounded off the Jubilee Days .
Influence on pop culture
The silver jubilee had a huge impact on pop culture . Most controversial was the release of the single God Save the Queen by the punk band Sex Pistols . Many felt the song was an attack on the queen and the monarchy. In it, the Sex Pistols vilified the queen as the leader of a fascist state. It was the most censored single in British history; the BBC and all independent radio stations refused to play the anti-monarchist song. On June 7th, the main day of the anniversary celebrations, the band gave a concert on a boat on the Thames until the police boarded the boat and arrested some of those present (the band itself escaped). Contrary to many expectations, God Save The Queen did not reach the top position in the British charts. This was followed by rumors that the band had purposely been ranked 2nd in order not to embarrass the Queen.
Long term effects
Different places were named after the silver jubilee. The Fleet Line of the London Underground , which was then under construction , was named Jubilee Line , even if it did not go into operation until 1979. Also in London are the Jubilee Walkway and Jubilee Gardens . As part of the celebrations got Derby the status of a City . The Australian painter Paul Fitzgerald created the only official portrait of the Queen in the anniversary year. To celebrate the silver jubilee, the metal parts of Tower Bridge were painted in the British national colors red, white and blue; this color scheme has remained to this day.
See also
Web links
- Side of the British Royal Family to the silver Jubilee (English)
- Videos Silver Jubilee (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ On this day: June 7, 1977: Queen celebrates Silver Jubilee. BBC News , 2008, accessed September 18, 2013 .
- ↑ Alexis Petridis: Leaders of the banned. The Guardian , April 12, 2002, accessed September 18, 2013 .
- ↑ Joe Savage: The Sex Pistols' jubilee boat trip - a classic account. The Guardian, May 29, 2012, accessed September 18, 2013 .
- ^ Spencer Leigh: Charting the number ones that somehow got away. The Independent , February 20, 1998, accessed September 18, 2013 .
- ↑ London Gazette . No. 47246, HMSO, London, June 14, 1977, p. 7656 ( PDF , accessed September 18, 2013, English).
- ^ To Australian paints the Queen. The Australian Women's Weekly, June 15, 1977; accessed September 18, 2013 .
- ^ Bridge History. (No longer available online.) Tower Bridge, archived from the original on June 20, 2012 ; accessed on September 18, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
