On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, as Patron of Year of Volunteering, attended the opening of Together on Tour in Drammen, Norway.
According to the Norwegian royal court, Together on Tour is a national charity with the aim of:
“…getting more people active and reducing loneliness. The initiative is a collaboration between Norsk Friluftsliv, on behalf of the 18 major outdoor organizations, together with the National Association for Public Health, the Cancer Society, the Norwegian Women’s Medical Association, and the Norwegian Tourist Association.
The volunteer work was created when the associations, which all work to create good meeting places and low-threshold activities throughout the country, wanted to have a joint celebration of the Year of Volunteering in 2022.”
On the evening of Monday, May 9, 2022, Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan received the Path to Peace Award presented by the Path to Peace Foundation affiliated with the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations.
Their Majesties received the award in appreciation of their role in promoting interfaith harmony and dialogue, as well as bolstering prospects for peace, and in recognition of Jordan’s humanitarian efforts to host refugees.
According to a press release, via the Hashemite royal court, in his acceptance speech His Majesty stated:
“Our journey on the path to peace must travel through Jerusalem. Billions of people around the world hold that Holy City in their hearts. It is home to our prayers and home to our hopes.
As Custodian of its Muslim and Christian Holy Sites, I say to you all, my friends, that upholding the historical and legal status quo at these holy places is essential for peace, for harmony, and freedom of worship. Jerusalem should be an anchor for peace and coexistence, not for fear and violence.”
His Majesty also urged the international community to “…help the Palestinians and the Israelis get back to work to end the crisis to reach just and lasting peace that can provide a future of hope for both parties, based on the two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side-by- side with Israel in peace and security.”
[Accepting the award] on behalf of all Jordanians who uphold the historic values and noble heritage of our land, by living and working in mutual respect, by sustaining Jordan as an oasis of peace, and by reaching out in compassion to those in need, and offering sanctuary to millions of refugees over the years.”
On Friday, May 13, His Majesty King Abdullah II will meet with the President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, at the White House in Washington, D.C. The meeting will cover the strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States, and ways to bolster it across all sectors, as well as the latest regional and international developments.
On the afternoon of May 10, 2022, Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attended the opening of the conference entitled, Meer Muziek in Mijn Klas (More Music in My Class), held at the Paleis Noordeinde in Den Haag.
Meer Muziek in Mijn Klas Foundation, which organized today’s conference, is committed to:
“…structural music education for all 1.4 million primary school children in the Netherlands and the Caribbean. Music education enlarges the world of a child and contributes to the cognitive, social and creative development of children. The foundation shows how valuable music education is. It increases teachers’ knowledge and establishes regional collaborations between schools and their cultural environment.”
During today’s opening, Her Majesty Queen Maxima gave a speech in front of hundreds of teachers, school leaders, and teacher training students participating in the conference which includes various interactive workshops.
On Monday, May 9, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco held an audience with the co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Human Rights Activist, Ms. Nadia Murad, at the Palais Princier in Monaco-Ville. Prince’s Palace.
Ms. Murad is a Yazidi from Sinjar (Kurdistan) in northern Iraq. In 2014, she was captured by Islamic State fighters and held as a sex slave for several months before managing to escape. Since then, she has tirelessly told her story around the world to help Yazidi survivors, defend the rights of marginalized ethnic and religious minorities, and fight against the use of rape as a weapon of war.
According to the Palais Princier, the sovereign prince recalled:
“…during his audience with Ms. Murad, his support for survivors of sexual violence linked to conflicts throughout the world as well as the possibility for Monaco to participate in projects in the fields of education and health, through various entities. Ms. Murad concluded her moving story by offering Prince Albert II her autobiography So that I am the Last which she wrote to help the Yazidi people and all other women victims of violence.”
On the morning of Tuesday, May 10, 2022 Her Majesty Queen Letizia of Spain presided over the Medallas de Oro de Cruz Roja during the celebrations of Día Mundial de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja held at the Oceanogràfic in Valencia, Spain.
Today’s celebration and award ceremony paid tribute to the fundamental principles, values, history, and achievements of the Red Cross movement.
In her speech, Her Majesty Queen Letizia noted that the she has valued the diversity with which the recipents of the award and entities help society to “…be better…” Her Majesty also highlighted the constant commitment of the Red Cross with “…every human being who needs help anywhere in the world, vulnerable due to wars, COVID-10, lack of opportunities, migratory movements due to poverty, climate change or armed conflicts, and that are a challenge for the Red Cross.”
On May 4, 2022, Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg was a guest of Mr. Térence Jarosz’s (from RTL 5Minutes) podcast entitled, Vous avez comme un accent.
In the interview, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa tells the story of her life beginning in Cuba, then the United States, then Switzerland, and eventually in Luxembourg. She also talks about her family, her meeting with Grand Duke Henri, and other important moments in her life.
The Grand Duchess also discusses her work in the humanitarian field, specifically, her commitment to the organization, Stand Speak Rise Up. The aim of the organization is to fight against sexual violence in sensitive areas, in particular, rape as a weapon of war.
On May 7, 2022, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa participated in RTL Luxembourg’s 20th Edition of Télévie, a telethon fundraising event for Cancer and Leukemia research, in Mertzig, Luxembourg. According to the Cour Grand-Ducale, prior to “…acting as telephone operator alongside other volunteers to take pledge calls…” the lovely grand duchess met with hundreds of volunteers, patients, families, and staff.
On Friday, May 6, 2022, Buckingham Palace published new updates regarding Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
On Thursday, June 2, 2022, The Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) will take place at Horse Guards Parade in London at 10am:
“The colour will be trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and more than 1200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division will put on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade, together with hundreds of Army musicians and around 240 horses. This annual event has now marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years.
During The Queen’s Birthday Parade A Royal Gun Salute will be fired.
There is an opportunity for people to view the display along The Mall as the troops parade to and from Horse Guards Parade on its journey between Buckingham Palace and the parade ground.
During the ceremony, there will be an opportunity to watch the event on a large screen at St James’s Park and many more members of the public will be able to watch the spectacle live on television, across the world. Once the parade has ended and the Royal Procession has returned to Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family’s balcony appearance will happen as in previous years.
Platinum Jubilee Flypast
There will be an impressive Flypast to coincide with the Royal Family’s balcony appearance.”
This morning Buckingham Palace announced that “…after careful consideration, The Queen has decided that this year’s Trooping the Colour balcony appearance will be limited to Her Majesty and those Members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of The Queen.” Below is the list of those who will appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace:
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II *To be announced on the day of the celebrations*
TRHs The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
TRHs The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
HRH The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
TRHs The Earl and Countess of Wessex
TRHs The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
HRH The Duke of Kent
HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Oglivy
It was also confirmed that Her Majesty’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Lady Louise Windsor and James, The Viscount Severn, His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge will also make an appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace:
“In addition, the Cambridge and Wessex children are also expected to appear as is Sir Tim Laurence, who the Queen is happy to attend as a frequent attendee and support for The Princess Royal on official engagements.”
Andrew, Harry and Meghan… OUT!
Notably absent from the list: The Duke of York along with Harry and Meghan. However, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan proudly announced this morning that the former senior working royals will attend Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, “…[the couple] are excited and honored to attend The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children.”
It is my guess that the former working royals — Andrew, Harry and Meghan — will celebrate privately with the family hence no photos of the former royal trio. Which, in my opinion, is a good thing. The focus should be on Her Majesty The Queen and her historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Moving on… Buckingham Palace also announced the Platinum Jubilee Beacons will be displayed in over:
“…2,000 towns, villages and cities throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories will come together to light a beacon to mark the Jubilee. Beacons will also be lit in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth countries.
The principal beacon lighting will take place in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening. This will take the form of a lighting installation with The Queen’s Green Canopy ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture and projections onto the front of Buckingham Palace. This innovative new way of taking part in the beacon lighting will reflect the Royal Family’s long history of championing environmental causes.
National Service of Thanksgiving
A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will be rung for the Service. It was made in 1882, but fell silent in the 1970s due to a broken mechanism. It was restored in 2021 and has been rung on 8 occasions since, but this is the 1st Royal occasion for which it will be rung. The Service of Thanksgiving starts at 11.30am and Great Paul will be rung between 10.50am to 10.55am followed by a peal of bells. A reception will be held at Guildhall following the Service.
The service will include a new Anthem by Judith Weir, Master of The Queen’s Music, that sets to music words from the third Chapter of the Book of Proverbs.
Saturday 4th June:
The Derby – Epsom Downs Racecourse
As part of the central weekend celebrations, Epsom Downs Racecourse will stage the 243rd running of The Derby.
BBC Platinum Party at the Palace
Hosts Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp, will lead live coverage of the Platinum Party at the Palace to be shown air live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and across the BBC. The celebration will see famous faces from the world of entertainment brought together to perform for a night of musical tributes to celebrate the Jubilee. 22,000 people will attend the event including 10,000 allocated in a public ballot and 5,000 tickets for key workers. And now for the first time, the BBC have released artist visuals of the impressive setting and stage where the acts will perform. The full line-up of acts will be announced by the BBC in the coming weeks.
Sunday 5th June:
The Big Jubilee Lunch
Over 60,000 people have registered to host Big Jubilee Lunches on over the central weekend, with events ranging from world record attempts for the longest street party to back garden BBQ’s and everything in between. As millions of people across the UK sit down to share lunch in their communities, a flagship event will be taking place at The Oval in London where a specially invited audience will share friendship, food and fun together with entertainment at the iconic venue. People are joining in across the world with over 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches being planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond – from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan and South Africa to Switzerland.
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant
Evoking the Coronation at the very start of the Platinum Pageant, the Bells of Westminster Abbey will chime, as they did on Coronation Day. As they do so, The Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry will lead The Gold State Coach along a crowd-thronged pageant route back to Buckingham Palace.
The Gold State Coach is used to transport the Monarch on the occasion of their Coronation and Jubilees, and it has not been seen in on the streets of London for twenty years.
The Gold State Coach is the Platinum Pageant’s iconic figurehead; a ‘crown jewel’ made yet more awesome by the glittering livery worn by its four pairs of Windsor Greys. Everywhere you look, in the golden sculptures and painted panels, in the uniforms of the postillions, grooms, footmen, attendants and mounted guards, there is rich tradition and history.
At the Platinum Pageant, The Gold State Coach plays a remarkable role. Original film footage recorded on Coronation Day will be used to recreate the magic of that extraordinary occasion.
The Pageant will serve as an opportunity to gather and pay tribute to Her Majesty. It will culminate with the singing of the National Anthem, ‘God Save the Queen’. A gospel choir will join the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.
The Pageant itself will bring to life iconic moments from The Queen’s reign as well as showcasing our changing society over the past 70 years.
10,000 people are involved, including the military, over 6,000 volunteers, performers, key workers and 2,500 members of the public.
National treasures and iconic figures from music, film, sport and the arts will take part in the Pageant including much-loved celebrity names, alongside military personnel, key workers and volunteers.
The Big Jubilee Lunch is still accepting orders for free packs to get street parties started or for people to find out where a public event in their area may be taking place.
The Armed Forces will also take a leading role in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday 5th June. Around 1,800 members of Armed Forces personnel, representing the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force, will lead Act 1 of the pageant. Six military bands will form part of the military contingent and the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom will be joined representatives from the Armed Forces of Commonwealth nations. The military section of the pageant will involve personnel from regiments and units across the Union, including those with a special relationship with The Queen.“
The Royal Correspondent 