The year 2002 will mark the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen's Accession to the Throne.
The celebrations will not fall on the actual 50th anniversary of the Queen's accession.
Queen Elizabeth came to the throne on 6 February 1952 at the age of 25 on the death
of her father King George VI. She was crowned in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953
in a spectacular ceremony watched by a huge television audience.
Traditionally, Royal jubilee celebrations mark the anniversary of Accession. However,
The Queen's Accession Day on 6 February is the anniversary of the death of King
George VI, her father. It is, therefore, not a suitable date for public celebration. The
main celebrations for the Silver Jubilee in 1977 were also held in June.
How the Country will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Queen's accession.
The main celebrations of the 50th anniversary of The Queen's Accession to the Throne will take place between May and July 2002.
An additional public holiday, on June 4, will allow four days of celebrations of Her Majesty’s 50-year reign. The Spring Bank Holiday, which had been due to fall on 27 May, will be moved.
On Saturday June 1, a Classical concert will be held in Buckingham Palace Gardens.
Sunday June 2 will see Jubilee Church services and bell-ringing across the UK.
There will be a Pop concert in Buckingham Palace Gardens followed by Beacon-Lighting and Firework display on June 3.
Jubilee Day will be on June 4. The Queen will attend a National Service of Thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral and during the afternnon there will be a Golden Jubilee Carnival Pageant in the Mall.
The Queen will undertake several trips around the United Kingdom between May and July 2002. The trips will include England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. See table at the bottom of the page.
There are also plans to stage an equestrian extravaganza involving 1,000 horses and a celebrity cast of about 2,000. "All the Queen's Horses" will be staged at the 2002 Royal Windsor Horse Show against the backdrop of Windsor Castle on 16, 17 and 18 May 2002. The finale of the show will recreate the 1952 Coronation procession, which will feature the Gold State Coach pulled by eight grey horses.
The Commonwealth Games, will open by The Queen in Manchester on 25 July.
The Queen will also tour Commonwealth countries, probably including Canada, in the autumn.
A UK town will be granted city status by The Queen to mark the Jubilee. The current favourite for the honour is Brighton and Hove.
Children will be given special lessons about the Commonwealth and Britain's imperial history.
A new covered footbridge across the River Thames. The bridge will be known as Jubilee Bridge and will be the first covered bridge across the Thames since the building of the original London Bridge in 1176
