Let’s go for four days of historic celebrations: from June 2 to 5, the British celebrate the platinum jubilee, that is to say the seventy years of reign, of Elizabeth II. Becoming queen on the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952, she was crowned on June 2, 1953. This is the first time that a British monarch has achieved such longevity on the throne. Aged 96, weakened since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021, the queen hardly moves anymore, but she is at the height of her popularity: 75% of Britons questioned by the YouGov institute appreciate.
This is far from being the case for all “royals”: Charles, heir to the throne, only obtains 50% popularity, while Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are almost last in the ranking (at 32% and 24% favorable opinions), just ahead of Prince Andrew, whose reputation is tarnished by his closeness to sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. However, the Republican current remains a minority in the country: according to another YouGov poll published on Wednesday 1er June, six in ten Britons (62%) think the UK should remain a monarchy and only 22% say the country should opt for an elected head of state instead.
Like the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 (sixty years of reign) or the Golden Jubilee in 2002 (fifty years of reign), this Platinum Jubilee is an opportunity for the Windsor family to reconnect with the population and test its popularity. . “This may be the last time we see the Queen in public, her appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace will be poignant in this regard. But this jubilee is welcome, because it is also the first time in a long time that we will have the opportunity to celebrate something really positive concerning the royal family, and not deaths or scandals, ” underlines Omid Scobie, specialist in the royal family and author of the book Finding Freedom on the “Megxit”, the departure of the couple Harry and Meghan for California.
Two public holidays
Four major public events must punctuate this exceptional long weekend – the Johnson government has granted two public holidays to the British, Thursday and Friday. On Thursday morning, starting at 10 a.m. (local time, 11 a.m. CET) the Trooping the Color military parade will take place, marking the ceremonial birthday of the Queen – she was, in fact, born on April 21, 1926. parade more than 1,200 officers and soldiers of the Household Division, from Horse Guard, the building of the mounted guard, near Downing Street, seat of government, to the foot of Buckingam Palace.
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