The Platinum Jubilee Is the \201cLast Hurrah\201d Before British Monarchy Changes \201cDramatically\201d

(Image credit: Eddie Mulholland / WPA Pool for Getty Image)

published 29 May 2022

After ample anticipation, the Platinum Jubilee is finally here, and it is history in the making. This week royal aficionados around the globe will celebrate the groundbreaking 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history who has steadfastly led the U.K. and the Commonwealth through seven decades’ worth of ups and downs.

When the Queen’s reign ends—may it be years and years from now—the monarchy will change dramatically, leading royal historian Hugo Vickers tells Page Six. So, in a way, the Jubilee is a moment in time, one we will never see again—the last hurrah like this before significant change happens.

“If you think about it, this will be the last really huge time to celebrate the Queen publicly and thank her,” Vickers says. “This has been an extraordinary golden age that she has presided over, and things will change dramatically at a certain point, so I think these few days will be really important. Everyone must get out and celebrate her.”

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Now, let’s certainly not write the Queen off just yet: according to The Daily Express, despite physical mobility issues, Her Majesty’s power is as strong as it has ever been.

“The Queen is beloved worldwide, she is respected by world leaders, she has overseen the monarchy with such grace, class, wit, and charm that she needs to utter only a few words for them to have a great impact, perhaps even more now than ever before,” says reputation management expert Eric Schiffer. “She can communicate with rare efficiency. While the volume of her public appearances may go down, her impact and power and effect perhaps is at its strongest point ever.”

So, Vickers says, despite many attempts at veering headlines away from the Queen—Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew, for starters—this week should be all about her.

“I would like to hope that it will all be focused on her,” he says. “The fewer distractions there are, the better, frankly.”

Well said, and God Save the Queen.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.