# Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the British throne on 6 February 1952, and was celebrated principally in the summer of 2012[1](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marking-the-diamond-jubilee) • [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-11301/). It was the Queen's third jubilee, following her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee in 2002[2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-11301/). A diamond jubilee marks 60 years of a monarch's reign, and [Elizabeth II](https://www.edgepedia.org/elizabeth-ii) was only the second British monarch to reach that milestone.[3](https://time.com/6182746/royal-jubilee-history/) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/apr/26/jubilee.monarchy) • [17](https://www.royal.uk/60-facts-about-diamond-jubilee-celebrations-uk)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Occasion | 60 years since Elizabeth II's accession on 6 February 1952[2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-11301/) |
| Official Jubilee Weekend | 2 to 5 June 2012[5](https://www.royal.uk/queen%E2%80%99s-diamond-jubilee-2012) |
| Precedents | The Queen's third jubilee, after Silver (1977) and Golden (2002)[2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-11301/) |
| Thames river pageant | A flotilla of 1,000 boats along the Thames led by the Queen's Royal Barge, about four hours long in rainy weather[3](https://time.com/6182746/royal-jubilee-history/) |
| Big Jubilee Lunch | An estimated 8.5 million participants across the UK[6](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-wide-plans-for-public-to-celebrate-platinum-jubilee) |
| Charity legacy | The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, established under the chairmanship of Sir John Major[7](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/lhan262.pdf) |
## Planning and official framework
[Buckingham Palace](https://www.edgepedia.org/buckingham-palace) was responsible for organizing and overseeing the program of events over the four-day Jubilee weekend in June[8](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a79e9a3e5274a18ba50fb77/Queens-Speech-2012-briefing-notes.pdf). In a February 2012 announcement, the government outlined the main features of the celebration: a Big Jubilee Lunch held nationwide, a concert at Buckingham Palace, and 2012 beacons forming a chain to be kindled across the Commonwealth[7](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/lhan262.pdf). Members of the Royal Family traveled overseas representing the Queen, visiting every realm as well as a number of Commonwealth countries, [Crown Dependencies](https://www.edgepedia.org/crown-dependencies) and [British Overseas Territories](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-overseas-territories)[7](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/lhan262.pdf).
The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust was created to take donations from those wishing to present a gift to the Queen in her Jubilee year[9](https://www.royal.uk/the-queens-jubilees-and-other-milestones). It was a charitable foundation with a mission to leave a lasting legacy owned by the whole Commonwealth, welcomed at the [Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting](https://www.edgepedia.org/commonwealth-heads-of-government-meeting) in Perth in October 2011 under the chairmanship of Sir John Major[7](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/lhan262.pdf) • [10](https://www.royal.uk/history-queen-elizabeth-diamond-jubilee-trust).
## The central weekend, 2 to 5 June 2012
**Street-level celebration.** The Big Jubilee Lunch brought an estimated 8.5 million people together in street parties and community lunches across the UK[6](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-wide-plans-for-public-to-celebrate-platinum-jubilee).
**The Thames pageant.** The centerpiece event was a river pageant of 1,000 boats along the Thames led by the Queen's Royal Barge[3](https://time.com/6182746/royal-jubilee-history/). The broadcast ran about four hours in rainy conditions, and a ceremonial gun salute was fired at the [Tower of London](https://www.edgepedia.org/tower-of-london) as part of the celebrations[3](https://time.com/6182746/royal-jubilee-history/).
**Beacons.** On Monday 4 June, British High Commissions, Embassies and Overseas Territories lit beacons at sunset around the world, joining beacon-lighting across the UK and continuing a tradition of lighting beacons, first used for communications and now a symbol of unity[1](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marking-the-diamond-jubilee). In Kenya, a beacon was lit at the resort where the young Princess Elizabeth heard that she had become Queen[1](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marking-the-diamond-jubilee).
**The final day.** On Tuesday 5 June, thousands of people lined the streets of London to watch the Queen travel to Buckingham Palace after a Service of Thanksgiving at [St Paul's Cathedral](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-pauls-cathedral)[1](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marking-the-diamond-jubilee). A concert was held at Buckingham Palace, with the BBC rolling program credits over the Diamond Jubilee Concert firework display, a decision that drew criticism[11](https://www.tntmagazine.com/archive/bbc-slammed-over-tedious-one-show-style-coverage-of-diamond-jubilee-events/).
## Broadcasting and public reception
The BBC's coverage of the jubilee weekend drew sustained criticism, particularly of its presentation of the river pageant[11](https://www.tntmagazine.com/archive/bbc-slammed-over-tedious-one-show-style-coverage-of-diamond-jubilee-events/). By Friday 8 June the corporation had received 4,487 complaints from viewers and listeners, more than 2,000 of them complaining that Sunday's Thames river pageant was "poor as a whole"[12](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/08/bbc-diamond-jubilee-coverage-complaints). The [Daily Mail](https://www.edgepedia.org/daily-mail) criticized chairman Lord Patten and director general Mark Thompson for showing "not a trace of shame" at the Monday concert[13](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/06/bbc-diamond-jubilee-coverage-critics).
## Overseas dimension
British missions around the world marked the Jubilee with events celebrating the UK's heritage and modern strengths[1](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marking-the-diamond-jubilee). The British Consulate General in New York held a charity run through [Central Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-park) that raised money for the St George's Society and Disabled Sports USA; Tokyo hosted a Jubilee fashion show, and Mexico City held a reception celebrating British music and design[1](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marking-the-diamond-jubilee).
The jubilee year coincided with the London Olympics, giving the summer of 2012 an unusual density of national events[3](https://time.com/6182746/royal-jubilee-history/). The Sovereign Grant report for the year ending 31 March 2013 described the period as exceptionally busy, incorporating events for both the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics[14](https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/sovereign_grant_2012-13.pdf). During that year the Queen undertook 288 public engagements in the United Kingdom and no overseas engagements, while members of the Royal Family undertook 30 overseas engagements[14](https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/sovereign_grant_2012-13.pdf).
## Place in jubilee history
The Diamond Jubilee followed a pattern established by earlier celebrations. The Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 had included a 56,000-mile world tour, a 10-week UK tour covering 36 counties, and more than one million people in the Mall for a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral[15](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/buckingham-palace-thames-mother-philip-platinum-jubilee-b2092408.html). The Golden Jubilee in 2002 again featured a UK and Commonwealth tour, a Buckingham Palace concert and a firework display[3](https://time.com/6182746/royal-jubilee-history/). The 2012 events followed much the same pattern, with the Queen traveling around the country while other members of the Royal Family toured the nations of the Commonwealth[16](https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/royal-jubilees/queen-elizabeth-ii-1). Ten years later, the Platinum Jubilee of 2022 marked 70 years of the reign, a milestone no earlier British monarch had reached[2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-11301/).
## References
1. [Marking the Diamond Jubilee, GOV.UK (Foreign & Commonwealth Office)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marking-the-diamond-jubilee)
2. [The Queen's Accession and the Platinum Jubilee, House of Commons Library](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-11301/)
3. [Parades, Pageants, and Afternoon Tea: The History of Britain's Royal Jubilee Celebrations, Time](https://time.com/6182746/royal-jubilee-history/)
4. [What is a jubilee?, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/apr/26/jubilee.monarchy)
5. [The Queen's Diamond Jubilee 2012, The Royal Family](https://www.royal.uk/queen%E2%80%99s-diamond-jubilee-2012)
6. [UK-wide plans for public to celebrate Platinum Jubilee, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-wide-plans-for-public-to-celebrate-platinum-jubilee)
7. [WS 5 Written Statements, 6 February 2012, Parliament Hansard](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/lhan262.pdf)
8. [Diamond Jubilee, Queen's Speech 2012 briefing notes, GOV.UK](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a79e9a3e5274a18ba50fb77/Queens-Speech-2012-briefing-notes.pdf)
9. [The Queen's Jubilees and other milestones, The Royal Family](https://www.royal.uk/the-queens-jubilees-and-other-milestones)
10. [A history of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, The Royal Family](https://www.royal.uk/history-queen-elizabeth-diamond-jubilee-trust)
11. [BBC slammed over 'tedious One Show-style' coverage of Diamond Jubilee events, TNT Magazine](https://www.tntmagazine.com/archive/bbc-slammed-over-tedious-one-show-style-coverage-of-diamond-jubilee-events/)
12. [BBC's diamond jubilee coverage draws 4,500 complaints, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/08/bbc-diamond-jubilee-coverage-complaints)
13. [BBC response to diamond jubilee criticism leaves much to be desired, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/06/bbc-diamond-jubilee-coverage-critics)
14. [Sovereign Grant 2012-13, The Royal Family](https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/sovereign_grant_2012-13.pdf)
15. [Queen's Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees saw millions party in celebration, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/buckingham-palace-thames-mother-philip-platinum-jubilee-b2092408.html)
16. [Queen Elizabeth II, Royal Collection Trust](https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/royal-jubilees/queen-elizabeth-ii-1)
17. [60 Facts about The Diamond Jubilee celebrations in the UK, The Royal Family](https://www.royal.uk/60-facts-about-diamond-jubilee-celebrations-uk)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Public holidays and civic commemorations*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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