The Jubilee bank holiday is a day off for the nation, an opportunity for people to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne and to express thanks that she’s with us. And indeed, it’s a remarkable anniversary.
At 96, she’s still doing as much as she can, given her problems with mobility, an example of how a purposeful life and an ethos of duty does not entail retirement. We are lucky to have her. This milestone is a chance to say thank you.
It is also a chance for a celebratory public holiday, with the unofficial agenda of marking the country’s emergence from the long winter of Covid at a time of (we hope) bright sunshine.
Ed Sheeran will head a star-studded bill for the People’s Pageant, marking the culmination of 800 events over a joyously long weekend. Hundreds of thousands are expected to line The Mall alongside a global television audience of up to one billion.
If Covid meant social distancing, this bank holiday entails people coming together cheerfully. Normal constraints are put on hold: pubs will open until 1am and the Jubilee weekend will last four days. It will be an enormous fillip for the economy and a boost to tourism. Small wonder the CBI is keen to make it permanent.
The events of the Jubilee — the beacons lit all over Britain, the service of thanksgiving, Trooping the Colour, the party at the Palace and street celebrations — should mean that there’s something in the programme for most people.
And that includes the Queen herself: the special Epsom Derby is an event she’ll actually enjoy. She deserves it.
