No other British monarch has sat on the throne for as long. This long weekend, the British people – and Norwegian TV viewers – can take part in the celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s platinum anniversary. It is expected that the main character will participate in several of the events. But Buckingham Palace will not confirm her presence until the last minute. The 96-year-old queen has struggled with mobility problems for many months. But it will be a folk festival anyway. You can follow the celebration on NRK1, which shows several of the events live in addition to the brand new BBC documentary Queen Elizabeth – completely private on Saturday night. See the entire program further down in the case. Only one in three Britons will celebrate But there is a danger that many Britons will choose to use the long weekend they have been given for other things. Only 14 percent of those polled in a YouGov poll in mid-May said they have plans to celebrate the queen. 20 percent answered that they will probably take part in a form of celebration. Thus, it seems that every third Briton will attend the party. 56 percent answered that they will probably not celebrate the historic platinum anniversary this weekend. Few Britons have experienced any monarch other than Queen Elizabeth. The third-graders Fatima Magnoago Behzadfar and Frankie Royal in London are also in no doubt when NRK shows them a picture of the queen: – It’s the queen. Queen Elizabeth. Popular and old But what do they know about her? – That she is very old and has been queen for a couple of years, Fatima Magnoago Behzadfar answers. – How old? 49-50 years, Frankie Royal suggests. Fatima Magnoago Behzadfar and Frankie Royal have full control over who Queen Elizabeth is. On the other hand, they are a little more in doubt about how old she is and how long she has been queen. Photo: Håvard Blekastad Almås / NRK The 96-year-old jubilee is the royal family’s most popular member. Over 80 percent have a positive impression of the queen, according to a popularity poll from YouGov. – She decides whether people have to go to dungeons or not, Fatima says when we ask if they know what a queen does. Frankie thinks the job is even easier. – I think she is sitting on the throne with a crown on her head, and then she goes to bed with her husband. That’s it. Heir to the throne Charles is less popular Only 56 percent have a positive impression of Crown Prince Charles, while 77 percent are positive to the next in line, Prince William. But the two 7-8-year-olds do not recognize either of them in the photos we show. – Is it Junior Caesar? A president? A completely random guy? Fatima asks. – I know, Frankie exclaims. It’s the queen’s father. Or grandfather? In the end, they guess it’s the queen’s son. – He’s going to be king for a month, Frankie states. Crown Prince Charles held the throne speech for the very first time in his mother’s absence in May this year. He must endure being less popular and less well known than his mother. Photo: POOL / Reuters At the same time as the British are getting ready for the four-day folk festival, they are preparing for the changes that must come when the queen dies. The idea has become more relevant after the Queen has been on several assignments recently due to failing health. Unfamiliar with the king In May, she sent her son as a substitute for the very first time when the throne was to be held. It gave people a glimpse of what the future may hold. A king is an unfamiliar thought for the British, says royal house expert Robert Lacey. He has written a number of books on the British monarchy and is one of Britain’s most famous monarchy connoisseurs. – For 70 years we have had a queen and a mother figure. A female head of state seemed surprising in the 1950s, but we have become accustomed to it. Now there are three kings who follow until the end of this century, and that will change our view of the monarchy. It will be less feminine, says Lacey to NRK. Queen tribute in ounces and pounds As a tribute to the queen, the government will reintroduce imperialist units of measurement, write several British newspapers, among them the Daily Telegraph. Prices are stated in both pounds (lb) and kilos (kg) at the greengrocer NRK visited. If the government gets what it wants, it may be legal to drop the kilo price. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / NRK It will move away from old EU rules, and allow goods to be sold only in ounces and pounds. Until now, it has been illegal not to also state the weight of the goods in kilograms and grams. But there have been some exceptions. For example, it has been allowed to sell beer in pints and not pints. On Friday, the British Ministry of Commerce will start a consultation process among people and companies, to find out if there is a mood to decriminalize the use of the empire’s units of measurement. – It will not affect us, says vegetable seller Ray Marriot. He will continue to state both the kilo price and the pound price, and thinks it is ridiculous that the proposal should be a tribute to the queen. – I do not know who came up with this. It was safe on the partygate. They thought it was a good idea. Boris and his friends took a glass of wine and thought that “now I know what we are going to do for the anniversary. Let’s go back to pounds and ounces! ” smiles Marriot. Ray Marriot sells vegetables in both pounds and kilos. He will continue to do so, even though the government wants to change the current EU rules. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / NRK The process could end with a reintroduction of champagne bottles in pint size, which according to Boris Johnson’s hero Winston Churchill is “the perfect size … enough for two for lunch and one for dinner”. In shape to celebrate themselves? Throughout the month of May, Queen Elizabeth was apparently very obvious on several official assignments. She opened a new subway line, was at horse shows and flower shows. Now the British are crossing their fingers that she also wants to be part of her own platinum anniversary. Queen Elizabeth seemed obvious when she attended the Chelsea Flower Show on May 23 this year. Photo: PAUL GROVER / AFP On Thursday, she is expected to stand on the castle balcony when an air show passes Buckingham Palace after the military parade that kicks off the party. This is how the celebration of the platinum anniversary will be: Thursday 2 June 12 noon: The military parade Trooping the Color. Over 1,200 soldiers, hundreds of musicians and 240 horses pay tribute to the Queen. The parade has been held every year for over 260 years, and is normally an official celebration of the Queen’s birthday (which is in April). This year it is also a celebration of the platinum anniversary. Appears on NRK. About. at 14: Air show with the queen on the castle balcony. The queen has decided that only working members of the royal family will wave from the balcony. That excludes Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan. Appears on NRK. 10pm: Ignition of the “Tree of Trees” at Buckingham Palace. 350 small trees form one large tree with candles to be lit in a special ceremony. Thousands of torches will be lit across Britain and in the Commonwealth. The Queen has also encouraged the people to plant trees throughout the anniversary year, under the slogan “Plant a tree for the anniversary”. Friday, June 3 12.30 pm: Thanksgiving service for the Queen will be held in St. Pauls Cathedral. The country’s largest church bell will ring for the first time on a royal occasion since the restoration in 2021. The church bell is from 1882, but has been destroyed since 1970. Shown on NRK. Saturday, June 4 On the day: Horse racing at Epsom Downs. Queen Elizabeth’s love for horses and horse racing is widely known. But Queen Elizabeth does not attend. The day is also the one-year anniversary of the great-granddaughter Lilibet, Prince Harry and Meghan’s youngest child. They are visiting the UK to take part in the celebration, and it will be the first time the queen meets the great-granddaughter, who has been given her nickname as her name. 21:00: The concert “Platinum Party at the Palace” is held outside Buckingham Palace. The legendary band The Queen and Adam Lambert will open it all, while Diana Ross will end with what will be her first concert in the UK in 15 years. In addition, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran, Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, David Attenborough, David Beckham, Julie Andrews and many more are participating. Some perform on stage, others on video. Appears on NRK. Sunday 5 June The morning: An anniversary procession in four acts with over ten thousand participants which culminates in the national anthem “God save the Queen” being sung. Ed Sheeran will lead what is described as “an unparalleled finale” in front of Buckingham Palace. All day: The big anniversary lunch is held all over the country. More than 60,000 people have signed up to host gatherings in their local communities, while Buckingham Palace expects more than 10 million Britons to attend. Attempts are being made to form the world’s longest street party. This is how the BBC envisages that the concert in front of Buckingham Palace on Saturday night will be. Photo: BBC Studios
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Britain celebrates historic platinum anniversary – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
