Antigua and Barbuda On 6 and 7 March, the
Earl and
Countess of Wessex, visited
Antigua and Barbuda to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The couple then visited the Copper and Lumber Store Hotel where they met with prominent Antiguans and Barbudans. In June, lighting of a Jubilee Beacon and a Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving also took place in Antigua and Barbuda. 50 Antiguan and Barbudan citizens were presented with the Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Governor-General.
Australia Quentin Bryce, the
Governor-General of Australia, announced that the Diamond Jubilee would be celebrated "with a host of national and community events throughout the Commonwealth." In a similar vein, it was said in late 2011 that the government of
Queensland was planning to declare a holiday in June 2012 to mark the jubilee. The
Royal Australian Mint announced in August 2011 that it would be releasing a silver proof 50-cent coin to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Australia Post issued a series of special stamps to mark the occasion. Paying tribute to Elizabeth II as
Queen of Australia in the
House of Representatives on 6 February 2012,
Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard stated the Queen was a revered figure in Australia. Gillard also announced that she would on 4 June light a beacon atop
Parliament House and that a street in the parliamentary triangle in
Canberra would be renamed
Queen Elizabeth Terrace. Between 5 and 10 November 2012,
Charles, Prince of Wales, and
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, toured the country, travelling to Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and the
Australian Capital Territory.
The Bahamas Prince Harry toured The Bahamas. There, he attended a reception for youth leaders and met with
Governor-General of the Bahamas Sir
Arthur Foulkes. The Prince attended an outdoor ceremony where children's schools, clubs, and associations presented themselves and delivered a speech at
Government House.
Barbados , where the
Earl of Wessex read to a joint sitting of the legislature a message from
Elizabeth II,
Queen of Barbados, on 23 February 2012, to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee To mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the country hosted the Queen's youngest son and his wife, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, between 23 and 24 February 2012. The tour began with the Earl and Countess arriving, aboard
RFA Fort Rosalie, at the
Port of Bridgetown, where Barbadian military personnel were given inspection. To a joint sitting of the
Parliament of Barbados, the Earl read a written message from the Queen, in which the monarch stated she has taken note of the level of development Barbados had achieved during its 45 years of independence and called the country a model small state for others around the world. Parliamentary officials responded with thanks to the Queen for her service to the country and Barbadians and invited her to the island to celebrate the 375th anniversary of the establishment of the Barbadian parliament in 2014. The visiting royal couple opened an exhibit at the
University of the West Indies,
Cave Hill Campus, and an official state dinner and reception was held at
Government House in the evening. The following day, the Countess visited the Albert C. Graham Children's Development Centre at Ladymeade Gardens, while the Earl presented eight
Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Awards to Barbadian youth at a dedication ceremony. Directly following, the couple travelled together to a ceremony to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee, where a plaque was unveiled at the
Kensington Oval cricket stadium. Other events included the Earl and Countess lunching with Prime Minister
Freundel Stuart at his residence,
Ilaro Court, and touring several areas of Bridgetown that were added to
UNESCO's list of
World Heritage Sites in 2011. An
ecumenical thanksgiving service was held at the St. Mary's Anglican Church in
Bridgetown on 3 June and a beacon lighting at the
Garrison Savannah the following day, where an official
Trooping of the Colour was performed by the
Barbados Defence Force and
military tattoo performed by the
Royal Barbados Police Force. Members of the
Barbados Boys Scout Association with high honours were chosen to aid in the actual beacon lighting.
Belize In Belize, the
Governor-General-
in-Council and the Belize Tourism Board organised a tour of the country by
Prince Harry, between 2 and 3 March 2012, as part of the country's celebrations of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Harry visited
Belmopan and
San Ignacio where ceremonies and events had less emphasis on state protocol. In the capital, Harry unveiled a series of commemorative stamps issued by the Belize Postal Service, attended the city's street festival, and dedicated a street as
Queen Elizabeth II Boulevard, where he delivered a speech on the sovereign's behalf.
Canada 's Diamond Jubilee
Planning Forethought on the anniversary began as early as April 2007, when then-Secretary of State for
Canadian Heritage Jason Kenney requested the various
lieutenant governors begin preparations for the jubilee. Three years later, the question of a national holiday to mark the jubilee was raised in the media and a series of official announcements were made by the Minister of Canadian Heritage. The
Secretary to the Queen,
Kevin S. MacLeod, was charged by the
Governor General-in-Council to head the Diamond Jubilee Committee (DJC)—a 14-member group of individuals drawn from the provincial and territorial governments, non-governmental organisations, officials from the Departments of
Citizenship and Immigration,
National Defence, and Canadian Heritage (DCH), and the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police—that oversaw the organisation of the country's
fêtes for Elizabeth II's 60 years as
Queen of Canada. Similarly,
Premier of Alberta Ed Stelmach in February 2011 tasked the Alberta Chief of Protocol and the Private Secretary to the
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta to form and head a committee to develop plans for the province's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. As with other royal events, the DCH played a large role in organisation and planning. $7.5 million of resources, granted to the DCH in the previous budget approved by the federal parliament, was allocated for federal jubilee celebrations, education and awareness, and distribution to community groups; $2 million was for events in the Queen's honour and $3.7 million was allocated for the Diamond Jubilee medal. At
Rideau Hall in Ottawa, she also, on 30 June, unveiled a commemorative
stained glass window depicting herself and Queen Victoria with their respective
royal cyphers and renditions of the
Centre Block of the
Canadian parliament during the reign of each monarch. The window, a gift from the
Canadian Senate, was installed above the Senate entrance to the Centre Block and dedicated by
Governor General David Johnston on 7 February 2012. A
corbel within the Sovereigns' Arches of the
Senate foyer was sculpted into a rendition of the Queen and unveiled on 9 December 2010 by the Governor General. The
Royal Canadian Mint also issued an "extensive set" of coins to mark the anniversary. Further, the
Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RRCA) in 2011 presented the Queen, their captain-general since 1952, with a diamond and gold brooch, made by
Birks & Mayors in the form of the regiment's cap badge, and announced the creation of The Captain General's Diamond Jubilee Bursary Award for educational activities of members of the RRCA and family.
Diamond Jubilee Week Diamond Jubilee Week began on
Accession Day (6 February) 2012. That day, the
monarch's personal standard for Canada was unfurled at Rideau Hall and on
Parliament Hill, as well as at provincial
royal residences and
legislatures across the country; permission was granted by the Queen to break the usual protocol of flying the banner only where the sovereign is physically present. The Prime Minister and the leader of the
Liberal Party of Canada issued statements commending the Queen for her six decades of "dedicated service to our country, to the Commonwealth and to the world." and Canadian MP
Rathika Sitsabaiesan after the medal's presentation ceremony in Toronto. Also on 6 and 7 February, the first of the 60,000 Canadian
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals to be distributed to citizens and permanent residents were handed out by
lieutenant governors,
commissioners, All federal
Members of Parliament (MPs) received the award automatically and a few refused, some because they belonged to the
Quebec separatist Bloc Québécois, and one because he felt the money being spent by the Crown on jubilee events and markers was a waste.
Citizens for a Canadian Republic claimed that day that the government's spending of money on the Queen's jubilee was to be expected "from the personality cult dynasties of North Korea or Syria". The
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society claimed it would stage "counter-celebrations". There and in other provinces and territories, various events were held on Accession Day, other days during Diamond Jubilee Week, and past its end. The
Speaker of the Senate,
Noël Kinsella, and
Speaker of the House of Commons,
Andrew Scheer, were received by the Queen at
Buckingham Palace on 21 February 2012, where they presented a loyal address to the sovereign. The
Canadian Postal Museum also opened on 19 March the exhibition
Designed for a Queen, which displayed 645 postal portraits of the Queen from Canada, other
Commonwealth of Nations countries, and
British Overseas Territories.
Royal tour , speaks to the public outside of the
Ontario Legislative Building during his tour of Canada for the Diamond Jubilee
Charles, Prince of Wales, and
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, toured parts of the country in May, In an editorial he wrote for
The Globe and Mail, Charles stated he wanted his activities during the tour to reflect the jubilee's "central theme of service to others" and expressed that he was "returning to Canada in this special Jubilee year, to renew my own pledge of service and to encourage others to consider how they might contribute their own particular talent". In that vein, he in all three provinces visited with people associated with his organisation
The Prince's Charities Canada and presented Diamond Jubilee Medals to recipients. The couple arrived at
Saint John Airport on the evening of 20 May. The following day, they were formally welcomed by the Governor General and met at
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown with young Canadian Forces veterans and mentors involved in the Military Entrepreneurship program before moving on to
Saint John. There, they undertook a walking tour of Prince William Street to observe heritage projects and meet the 2002 Committee for the Prince of Wales Municipal Heritage Leadership Prize, participated in a citizenship ceremony, attended
Victoria Day events, and opened the Diamond Jubilee IT Centre at Hazen-White-St. Francis School. laying at the armoury a wreath in memory of fallen Canadian soldiers, while the Prince of Wales saw the Digital Media Zone at
Ryerson University, toured the construction site of the athletes' village for the
2015 Pan American Games (where
Premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty announced a portion of
Front Street running through the village would be named
Diamond Jubilee Promenade), visited the Yonge Street Mission, and met with the national leadership of the
Assembly of First Nations. The couple also attended a luncheon hosted by the
government of Ontario and participated in a
Canadian Forces event at
Fort York commemorating the 200th anniversary of the
War of 1812, There, the Prime Minister announced that Charles was to be appointed Honorary Commissioner of the RCMP, taking the post from his mother, the Queen, who became the RCMP's Commissioner-in-Chief.
New Democratic Party MP
Pat Martin, an open anti-monarchist, stated in the
House of Commons that the tour was "a
bread-and-circuses routine" intended to distract from cuts to the
federal civil service. The Minister of Canadian Heritage,
James Moore, said the tour would be the "least expensive for taxpayers" of those that had taken place since 2009.
Events in June At the Queen's request, members of the RCMP's
Musical Ride, after performing in the
Diamond Jubilee Pageant at
Windsor Castle, took part in the Changing of the Guard on 23 May as they formed the
Queen's Life Guard outside Buckingham Palace for 24 hours. Said by the contingent's commander to be a "way for Canada and the Mounties to salute her Majesty the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year", In the
federal parliament on 31 May, a loyal address to the Queen was passed. The
Royal British Columbia Museum on 1 June opened an exhibition of approximately 100
Cecil Beaton photographs of Elizabeth II throughout her life. A team of Canadian and British mountaineers reached the summit of
Mount Barbeau, in Canada's arctic, by 3 June and there held a tea party in celebration of the jubilee. From the summit, they sent a loyal greeting to the Queen via satellite, to which the monarch promised to reply. The next day, a group from the
Royal Canadian Dragoons stationed in
Afghanistan climbed with British soldiers to the peak of the 7,000 foot mountain Gharib Ghar, within the
Kabul Military Training Center, "as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II." In the United Kingdom,
Canada House held a Big Jubilee Lunch on 3 June and two beacons were lit on the building's roof the following evening, the night of the
Diamond Jubilee Concert.
David Johnston attended both events and
Stephen Harper was at the latter. Another reception was held at Canada House on the evening of 6 June, at which the Governor General and
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, were present. Harper was granted an audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 5 June. The painting was on 25 June installed in the ballroom at Rideau Hall. Dedicated at the same time by the Governor General were new bronze and glass handrails, with detailing evoking the Diamond Jubilee, flanking the ceremonial staircase in Rideau Hall's main entrance foyer. On 12 June 2012, the government of the
Northwest Territories (NWT) and the City of
Yellowknife held at the
Northern Arts and Cultural Centre a garden party with a barbecue, concert, and other activities. On 14 June, Amber Jubilee Ninebark shrubs were planted on the grounds of the NWT legislative assembly.
Further events on display at the
Canadian Museum of Civilization during Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee The
Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan held a garden party at
Government House on
Canada Day and, in the Northwest Territories, the Canada Day parade was themed to celebrate the jubilee and numerous jubilee medal presentation ceremonies took place. At Rideau Hall on 11 September, a reception, attended by the Governor General; his wife;
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex;
Sophie, Countess of Wessex; and others, was held for the
Royal Victorian Order Association of Canada and to "honour of the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the Throne." The Earl also distributed Diamond Jubilee Medals to recipients in Toronto and to members of the RCMP in
Iqaluit,
Nunavut. The government of the Northwest Territories held through September an essay contest for youth to explain "how the Queen is important to
First Nations and
Métis people." The Governor General the following day unveiled a plaque identifying the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Trail, a part of the
Trans Canada Trail between the
West Block on
Parliament Hill and the
Supreme Court of Canada. In Nova Scotia,
highway 106 was renamed as
Jubilee Highway. Communities across Canada also held events to mark the jubilee, as did the federal government until the jubilee celebration ended on Accession Day 2013. The Diamond Jubilee Calendar for the
Senate was unveiled on 29 May 2013.
Jamaica On Accession Day, Governor-General Sir
Patrick Allen sent a congratulatory message to the Queen in which he said that the Queen's reign was marked by "wisdom, dedication and integrity". Allen said that the Queen had an "extraordinary knowledge and interest in Commonwealth and Caribbean Affairs", which he greatly admires. On 3 June, a boat parade and yacht race at the north side of the
Kingston Harbour was held to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The event was organised by the
Royal Jamaica Yacht Club to coincide with the
Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in London. On 4 June, communities across Western Jamaica celebrated the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, at the Montego Bay Civic Centre, in Sam Sharpe Square, St. James. Tributes included popular and gospel songs, and performances by schoolchildren. The Custos of St. James, Ewen Corrodus, described the occasion as fitting for "an icon who has been a part of Jamaica's life for 60 years". A Jubilee beacon was also lit by Corrodus. The mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris, congratulated the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee said that the Jubilee should be used for forgiveness and reconciliation between individuals and communities, and called for continued growth for Jamaica. On 4 June, four beacons were lit at central points across Jamaica, in celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The beacons were lit at St. William Grant Park in Kingston; Montego Bay Civic Centre, St. James; Seville Heritage Park, St. Ann; and at the
Port Antonio town centre in Portland. The beacons were designed by the
Jamaica Defence Force and built by students from the
Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI). All beacons were lit simultaneously at 10:00 p.m. at each location, and remained lit for 24 hours. Jamaicans from all ages were invited to attend all the Diamond Jubilee events in Jamaica. The Governor-General and his wife travelled to London to participate in various events there in June, including a reception held by the High Commissioner of Jamaica to the UK.
Royal visit Prince Harry toured Jamaica between 5 and 8 March 2012, participating in various events marking his grandmother's Diamond Jubilee. During the tour, the Prince partook in military exercises with the
Jamaica Defence Force, visited
Bustamante Hospital for Children and, in
Trelawny Parish, visited Water Square, Falmouth Pier, and the William Knibb Baptist Church, where he paid respect at the
William Knibb memorial. The Prince attended an event for the charity Rise Life, ran with
Usain Bolt at the latter's training ground at the
University of the West Indies,
Mona. There, he was also named an Honorary Fellow of the university. A Jamaica Night reception was held at the Royal Caribbean Hotel in Montego Bay and
Governor-General of Jamaica Sir
Patrick Allen hosted a dinner at
King's House as a combined celebration of the Diamond Jubilee and Jamaica's 50th anniversary of independence. The Prime Minister,
Portia Simpson Miller, stated the tour was intended to "highlight the country's tourism developments on the North Coast and the important work being done in the area of youth and children."
Emblem 's Diamond Jubilee The New Zealand post also issued sets of Diamond Jubilee stamps showing images of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip throughout her reign. Prime Minister
John Key moved a motion in the
House of Representatives congratulating the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee on 7 February. The
Governor-General-in-Council also launched, two days later, via the
Ministry of Health, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Research Grant, "seeking to purchase research projects that transfer knowledge from initiatives with proven effectiveness, into practice in the health sector". The
New Zealand Army Band took part in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant held at Windsor Castle and also took part in the changing of guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. In New Zealand,
New Zealand Herald opinion columnist
Jim Hopkins was critical of the jubilee celebrations held over the
Queen's Birthday weekend, calling it a "missed opportunity". He was also critical of
TVNZ's lack of jubilee related content in its daily news broadcast. travelling to
Auckland,
Wellington,
Christchurch, and
Manawatu. Their programme is to focus on excellence and innovation in business, agriculture, community service, and sports, as well as children's literacy and animal health. During their time in the country, the Prince and the Duchess met church, charity, and community volunteers, cultural groups, and members of the
Papua New Guinea Defence Force in and near
Port Moresby. There, the couple met with Governor-General Sir
Cuthbert Sebastian, Prime Minister
Denzil Douglas, and other dignitaries, watched cultural shows (including the performance of a
calypso song about the Queen), and the Earl unveiled a plaque commemorating the Diamond Jubilee and officially designated the
Basseterre Valley Park as the Royal Basseterre Valley Park. They also visited
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park and the children's ward of the JNF Hospital and the Children's Home before attending a state dinner and fireworks display at Port Zante.
Saint Lucia The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrived in Saint Lucia on 21 February 2012. Governor-General Dame
Pearlette Louisy hosted a Charity Banquet and Ball at
Government House on 9 June to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The event included a gourmet charity dinner, followed by dancing to the accompaniment of a full orchestra by the Royal Saint Lucia Police Band. The event was held under the theme "A Diamond Moment In Time?". The proceeds of the event went towards several charities supported by Government House.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a Diamond Jubilee Celebrations Committee was established to oversee events staged to mark, between February and June 2012, the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The committee head, former Minister of Culture Rene Baptiste, stated the aim was to "showcase what we have to offer, as well as our loyalty to the Parliament..." The Earl and Countess of Wessex, aboard
RFA Fort Rosalie, arrived for their tour of country on 25 February and visited the restored
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Botanic Gardens and planted a
Pink Poui tree, attended an official lunch at Government House, and planted
Royal Palms on the
Grenadines. Trade unionist Noel Jackson said he heard displeasure expressed by Vincentians towards the royal tour and that "a lot of people were cursing." Senator Julian Francis, the General Secretary of the governing
Unity Labour Party, stated the public reaction to the presence of the royal couple "confirmed to me that we could not have won the
2009 referendum on a republic. The outpouring of the people in St. Vincent to come and greet Prince Edward yesterday confirmed to me that people, in the majority in St. Vincent, still want the monarchy... It was like a carnival in town yesterday." A Diamond Jubilee Lecture was delivered in March, a flower show and tea party was held at Government House on 4 and 5 May, a stamp exhibition was mounted at the National Trust headquarters and an exhibition of photographs of the Queen in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was displayed at the National Public Library. A Queen's Birthday parade took place, as did a Diamond Jubilee Beacon Event on 4 June, part of the wider plan to light such beacons at the same time across the Commonwealth.
United Kingdom decorated with a
large photograph of her
Silver Jubilee adorned in special diamond jubilee livery to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Planning As with the
Golden Jubilee in 2002, the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport was responsible for coordinating the
Cabinet-led aspects of the celebrations. Events were planned so as to keep the use of tax money to a minimum; most funds used to fund celebrations were drawn from private donors and sponsors. Only the cost of security was by
Her Majesty's Treasury.
Extended weekend On 5 January 2010, the
Lord President of the Council and
Business Secretary Peter Mandelson announced that an extra
bank holiday would take place on 5 June 2012. Moving the Spring Bank Holiday (the last Monday in May) to 4 June resulted in a four-day holiday in honour of the Diamond Jubilee. As national holidays are a
devolved matter, Scotland's
first minister confirmed that the bank holiday would be held on 5 June in Scotland. Some economists later theorised that the holiday could reduce the country's gross domestic product by 0.5% in the second quarter of the year, though this would be partially offset by increased sales for the hospitality and merchandise sectors. for the service of thanksgiving on 5 June Many events were staged in London during the bank holiday weekend. Heavy rain started during the event and the commemorative airforce flyover at the end was cancelled due to very low
cloud base and bad visibility at ground level. Along with almost all members of the royal family, various governors-general from the Commonwealth realms other than the UK were in attendance. The
Diamond Jubilee Concert, with a preceding afternoon picnic in the palace gardens for the 10,000 concert ticket holders, was held the following day, in front of
Buckingham Palace, and featured acts representing each decade of the Queen's 60-year reign.
Street parties were permitted to take place across the country. Special community lottery grants, called ''The Jubilee People's Millions'', were being offered by the
Big Lottery Fund and
ITV. Members of the royal family, governors-general, and prime ministers from the Commonwealth realms were present at various functions held on 4 and 5 June: A reception took place at Buckingham Palace before the Diamond Jubilee Concert and a
national service of thanksgiving was conducted the following day at
St Paul's Cathedral, also attended by 2,000 other guests.
Will Todd's anthem "The Call of Wisdom", commissioned specially for this event, was performed by the Diamond Choir, made up of about 40 children from around the UK.
The Archbishop of Canterbury,
Rowan Williams, dedicated his sermon to the Queen, during which he noted her "lifelong dedication" and stated that she "has made her 'public' happy and all the signs are that she is herself happy, fulfilled and at home in these encounters." Afterwards, a formal lunch was held in
Westminster Hall. The Queen returned to
Buckingham Palace at 2:20 pm, in an open top carriage procession and escorted by the
Household Cavalry Regiment. Another reception was held at
London's Guildhall and a luncheon took place at
Lancaster House, hosted by the British
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. In addition, a competition was held to grant in 2012
city status to towns and either a
lord mayoralty or lord provostship to one city. City status was awarded to
Chelmsford in England,
Perth in Scotland and
St Asaph in Wales.
Armagh, Northern Ireland, was awarded the Lord Mayoralty. The Olympic Park in East London, created for the
2012 London Olympics, was named the
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park following the Olympics. The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge (Queen Elizabeth Fields Challenge in Scotland) was a project of the charity
Fields in Trust to safeguard parks and green spaces as public recreation land in perpetuity for future generations to enjoy, and to provide a permanent legacy of the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. The
Woodland Trust planned to establish 60 Jubilee
woodlands during 2011 and 2012, one of almost 500 acres –
Flagship Diamond Wood, Leicestershire – and the remainder 60 acres each. A stained glass window, paid for by MPs and members of the
House of Lords, was unveiled in the Queen's presence at
Westminster Hall in March 2012. In addition, a majority of MPs endorsed the renaming of the
clock tower of
Westminster Palace that houses Big Ben, to the
Elizabeth Tower. The
Royal Jubilee Bells, made for the Jubilee and a feature of the
Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, were delivered to the church of
St James Garlickhythe in the
City of London on 15 June 2012 and arranged along the central aisle. They were dedicated by the Rt Revd
John Waine on Sunday 17 June and hanging commenced in the tower shortly thereafter. They were rung for the first time in the church on 4 July. The
Royal Mint issued a number of coins including an official £5 coin, a 5oz coin and a kilo coin. A five-pound
sterling silver coin was issued by the
Government of Gibraltar to mark the occasion. In October 2012 it was announced that the Queen would bestow the honorary title of
Regius Professorship to up to six university chairs in the United Kingdom, to recognise "excellence in teaching and research"; the number was chosen to represent the decades of the Queen's reign. The full list was announced on 29 January 2013 and comprised twelve new chairs, in recognition of the "exceptionally high quality" of the departments considered.
Kew Gardens announced that the Main Gate, the entrance to the gardens from Kew Green, was to be renamed Elizabeth Gate in honour of the Queen.
Princess Alexandra attended the naming ceremony on 21 October 2012. On 18 December 2012, the
British Foreign Office announced that a portion of the
British Antarctic Territory was to be named
Queen Elizabeth Land in honour of Her Majesty in her diamond jubilee year. A seemingly less permanent tribute that gained widespread popularity was a work provided by street artist
Banksy. His
"Slave Labour" stencil on a north London wall offered pointed criticism of the jubilee celebrations and the conditions that support British nationalism. The mural's removal and subsequent attempted sale at auction in February 2013 sparked international controversy, highlighting the piece's worth to local and regional residents. Its title, perhaps coincidentally, conjured another contentious part of the celebrations where unemployed workers, bussed into London on an allegedly unpaid trial to staff security for the event, were made to work under what some described as "appalling" conditions. In 2013, a bust of the Queen was installed in the
Bexleyheath Clock Tower to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The clock tower was originally built in 1912 to commemorate the
coronation of George V.
Other events On Accession Day, 6 February, a 62-
gun salute was mounted on the banks of the
River Thames, near the
Tower of London and the Queen made a visit to
Norfolk, one of the first places the monarch visited after acceding to the throne. The Queen addressed both houses of
parliament in
Westminster Hall on 20 March 2012. Also in March, the
Royal Commonwealth Society launched the Jubilee Time Capsule to mark the jubilee. The
BBC and
Andrew Marr created the television documentary
The Diamond Queen, in which various members of the royal family and current and former politicians spoke about the sovereign and her life. The documentary was criticised by the campaign group
Republic, which argued that it breached BBC guidelines on impartiality. At Buckingham Palace, a display of the Queen's diamonds was opened to the public. On 19 May, the Queen attended the
Diamond Jubilee Armed Forces Parade and Muster, the
British Armed Forces' own tribute to the monarch, in
Windsor Castle and nearby
Home Park. The first time all three services had assembled for the Queen for such an event at the same time, it featured military reviews and a 2,500 strong military parade through the town, as well as a military flypast featuring 78 aircraft. A
Nowka Bais competition in
Oxford was dedicated to the Diamond Jubilee. The Queen issued a statement on the event and expressed her interest about the
Bengali sporting tradition to the event organisers.
Overseas territories ,
Gibraltar, June 2012
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, toured the
British Virgin Islands (BVI) in March 2012. On
Montserrat, he met participants in the Sailability BVI programme, including
Special Olympics medallists, and staff and associates of the Eslyn Henley Ritchie Learning Centre, BVI Technical and Vocational Institute, BVI Services, and the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, visited the British Overseas Territory of
Gibraltar, between 11 and 13 June 2012, and
Montserrat. ==Other Commonwealth countries==