Australia joins Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations by renaming island
Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne for 70 years, longer than any other British monarch before her. You’ll never guess how Australia celebrated the milestone
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Australia has renamed an island after Queen Elizabeth II in honour of the monarch’s* 70 years on the throne*.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the renaming of Aspen Island in Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin amid Platinum Jubilee* celebrations over the weekend.
Four days of festivities started in the UK with a spectacular Trooping the Colour parade of 1450 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians.
Thousands of royal fans lined London’s streets to watch the dazzling parade, marking the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, making Her Majesty the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.
The Queen’s son and heir* to the throne, Prince Charles, joined the parade on horseback, along with grandson Prince William and daughter Princess Anne, the first time the full Trooping the Colour parade has been held since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Crowds cheered as the 96-year-old Queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the parade, where she watched a flyover* by the Royal Air Force with senior members of the royal family.
The Queen’s four-year-old great-grandson, Prince Louis, was among those on the balcony and almost stole the show, holding his ears, jumping up and down and waving as more than 70 military aircraft thundered overhead.
The Royal Australian Air Force conducted its own fly-past and aerial display in Australia to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with its aerobatic team, the Roulettes, performing over Aspen Island as part of the ceremony to rename it Queen Elizabeth II Island.
Prime Minister Albanese led the ceremony, which also included the dedication* of the new Queen Elizabeth II Water Gardens on the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin.
The Queen thanked the people of the Commonwealth, including Australians, for helping her celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in convening* communities, families, neighbours and friends to mark my Platinum Jubilee, in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth,” she said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
“I know that many happy memories will be created at these festive occasions.
“I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last 70 years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm.”
After the Trooping the Colour parade, Buckingham Palace announced the Queen was not up to attending a Service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.
The celebrations continued on Saturday with the Platinum Party at the Palace concert, featuring stars such as Sir Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli and Sir Elton John.
On Sunday, the Platinum Jubilee pageant* was held, telling the story of the Queen’s 70-year reign* and the UK’s changing social landscape* in four very different acts.
Military personnel from Australia were involved in the first act, which was titled For Queen and Country and honoured the Queen’s role as Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces.
In the final act, singer Ed Sheeran performed his ballad Perfect as images of the Queen and her late* husband Prince Philip were shown on giant screens around the stage.
GLOSSARY
- monarch: king or queen
- throne: special chair used by a king or queen
- Platinum Jubilee: a celebration held to mark a 70th anniversary
- heir: someone who inherits another person’s property, money or title when that person dies
- flyover: a low flight by one or more aircraft over a specific location
- dedication: a formal ceremony to mark the completion or opening of something
- convening: bringing people together for an activity or meeting
- pageant: a colourful public procession, show or ceremony
- reign: the period a monarch rules
- social landscape: how a society looks and functions
- late: refers to someone who has died
EXTRA READING
Young Aussies quite keen on Queen
Queen tests positive to Covid-19
Barbados breaks from Britain and becomes republic
QUICK QUIZ
- How many years as the Queen been on the throne?
- How old is the Queen?
- What parade started the Platinum Jubilee festivities?
- Which of the Queen’s great grandchildren almost stole the show on the Buckingham Palace balcony?
- Which island in Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin has been renamed after the Queen?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. The Queen’s diary
Pretend you are Queen Elizabeth II and write a diary entry detailing the events of your Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Try to capture the emotions of the event, and the “voice” of the Queen in your writing with the language you choose.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
Write a second diary entry about the Platinum Jubilee events, from the point of view of a different person (real or imagined) of your choice.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
I’ve always wanted to know
If you had the opportunity to talk to the Queen what would you ask her?
Come up with five different questions. Challenge yourself to use different question stems (question opener words) to write your questions, and don’t forget to end with a question mark.