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As we all know, London will be hosting the 2012 Olympics this year, but just before the sporting world descends on the Big Smoke, there is another momentous event that will be gaining just as much global coverage.

 

It’s a little under two weeks until Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrating her grand Diamond Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth II is the second-longest reigning monarch in the last 1,000 years of British royal history (the longest being Queen Victoria).

 

The Diamond Jubilee is the international celebration throughout 2012 marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth 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.

 

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. Great Britain has got its flags ready and is prepared to party like a royal at one of the many spectacular events across the United Kingdom. Madame Tussaud's even whipped up a wax statue of the Queen:

 

 

The four-day celebrations will commence with Her Majesty attending the annual Epsom Derby on Saturday, June 2, followed by the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Sunday, where up to a thousand boats will muster on the river as The Queen prepares to lead one of the largest flotillas ever seen on the River Thames.

 

The one event that seems to have everyone talking, however, is the concert at Buckingham Palace, organized by the BBC. With a line up including Wil.i.am, Tom Jones, and Elton John, it is no wonder that thousands of people around the world wanted a ticket! Only a handful of people were selected randomly to receive a ticket to this exclusive event -- the rest had better get a spot in Hyde Park to watch this once-in-a-lifetime concert!

 

And, of course, Queen Elizabeth couldn’t just finish the night with just a few fireworks; Her Majesty will have thousands of beacons around the world to commemorate her 60-year reign, and as the head of the Commonwealth.

 

Rounding off the weekend is the one thing that the Brits do better than anyone else – Royal Processions! The Royal Family will travel from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace by carriage, along a processional route. Shortly after their arrival, the Royal Family will appear on the balcony and an RAF fly-over will take place, concluding the Diamond Jubliee celebrations.

 

To mark this momentous occasion, a range of charitable causes are being supported. A new charitable Trust, The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, has been launched. The trust will be taking donations for the duration of the Jubilee year, supporting individual projects that are a fitting and enduring tribute to Her Majesty The Queen. A range of environmental projects have also been launched in tribute of this majestic year, such as The Jubilee Woods Project and The Jubilee Greenway Route.

 

ABC will have exclusive coverage of the Diamond Jubilee long weekend, June 2-5, in the USA – so get your Union Jack flags and banners ready and join the worldwide celebrations!

 

 

- Anysha Panesar, YH Staff