What is the Platinum Jubilee? British Culture & Traditions

This year we celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s  platinum jubilee. A jubilee is an anniversary,  

a time to celebrate something important.  This year, it’s the seventieth anniversary  

of Queen Elizabeth the second’s accession to  the throne of the United Kingdom. This means  

she became the Queen seventy years ago, on the  sixth of February nineteen fifty-two, to be exact,  

after her father died. So the Queen acceded to the  throne seventy years ago this year - 2022

‘To accede’ just means to take up an office  or position.

Like many things associated with the royal family, it’s a very formal word, usually reserved for royalty or high office.

'Throne' is this - a highly decorated, ceremonial chair for  a monarch or other important person. We also use  

the word ‘throne’ figuratively, to mean a position  of power, so to take the throne or accede to the  

throne means to become king or queen, but  also, figuratively, to start to hold power. 

The Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations  started in February 2022  

and will go on to February twenty twenty-three  to commemorate seventy years after she was crowned  

Queen Elizabeth the second, by the Grace of  God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain  

and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms  and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth,  

Defender of the Faith. That’s her official  title! Wow! That’s a mouthful! This is a crown,  

so ‘to be crowned’ means to become a king or  queen. It can also just mean to win a competition.  

Queen Elizabeth the second was crowned on June  the second nineteen fifty-three, which makes  

her the longest reigning British monarch ever!  ‘To reign’, no not this kind of rain, this kind of reign, means to  

hold royal office, or simply be the queen or king. 

Our beloved Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations  include a four day weekend for people who live in  

the UK at the beginning of June! Whoo hoo! And  to celebrate, her subjects are throwing street  

parties and planting trees for the jubilee. There  was even a competition, judged by the queen of  

The Great British Bake Off herself, Mary Berry  to find the best new dessert or pudding called  

‘The Platinum Pudding’ competition which  ordinary people entered. Jemma Melvin was  

crowned the winner for her ‘lemon swiss roll and  amaretti trifle’, inspired by her grandmothers  

and the Queen. A trifle is a very British dessert,  made of sponge cake and fruit covered in layers of  

jelly - the kind with gelatine in it, not the one  you put on sandwiches - custard and cream. It’s  

scrumptious, which is a very British way to say  delicious. Jemma’s version is made with rolled  

up sponge cake, lemon and those sweet little  Italian almond biscuits. Hmmm scrumptious!

Now you know all about the jubilee, here’s  five important rules you should know  

if you’re ever lucky enough  to meet Her Majesty the Queen.

One: You should never try to touch the  Queen unless she touches you first. So  

if she doesn’t put out her hand to shake yours,  the correct way to greet her is with a small  

curtsy, if you’re a woman and a small bow if  you’re a man. A curtsy is when you put one  

foot in front of the other and bend at the knees.  A bow is when you place one hand on your stomach  

and the other behind your back and bend your  torso forward and your head down but that’s not  

necessary when you meet the Queen. A small  bow, like a nod of the head, is enough.

Two: It is considered very bad etiquette indeed to  put your hands in your pockets around the Queen.  

Etiquette is the rules for or how you should  behave in polite society. As you can imagine,  

there are many rules of etiquette for when  you meet a member of the royal family but  

don’t worry if you don’t get it all right! They  understand that there are a lot of rules to learn.

Three: The correct way to address the Queen  

is to call her ‘Your Royal Highness’ the  first time you meet her and then just  

ma’am after that. Pleased to meet you, Your Royal Highness.

Four: No selfies! It’s considered a faux pas to  take a selfie with any member of the royal family,  

although Prince Harry has been known to pose for  some! A faux pas, a word borrowed from French,  

is when you do or say something that’s  not polite, but it’s not too serious if  

you do it.

Number five. Last but not least, you  mustn’t start eating before the Queen  

starts eating. Ok, this is a fairly  common rule - we often wait for everyone’s  

meal to arrive before starting to eat at  a restaurant. But did you also know that,  

if you are ever lucky enough to eat  with the Queen, you also have to stop  

when she stops eating? The meal is finished when  the Queen is finished. That’s real girl power! 

Of course,  

it feels necessary to mention there’s some  mixed opinions about the monarchy in Britain.  

Some people think this kind of inherited power is  outdated while others love the tradition, grace and dignity  

the Queen and the royal family represent. Let  us know your opinion in the comments below!

I’m Anna! Thanks for watching English Like A  Native. If you would like more English traditions and English language lessons then please click that subscribe button. Now… where can I find that trifle recipe!