Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving

The Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving was held at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Friday 3 June 2022, as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II.[1][2]

St Paul's Cathedral, London

Service

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The national service of thanksgiving included Bible readings, anthems, prayers and congregational hymns expressing thankfulness for the Queen's 70-year reign. The New Testament lesson, from the fourth chapter of St Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, was read by Boris Johnson,[1] who, on his arrival, had been booed by the crowds.[3]

In his sermon, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, remarked that the Queen, a horse-lover, was "still in the saddle" after 70 years on the throne and thanked her for "staying the course". He praised her as an example of "staunch constancy and a steadfast consistency; a faithfulness to God, an obedience to a vocation that is a bedrock of her life".[1][2]

The combined choir of St Paul's and the Chapel Royal was directed by Andrew Carwood, and William Fox played the organ. Other musicians were the Band of the Royal Marines, Portsmouth and the Band of the Coldstream Guards, with state trumpters of the Household Cavalry and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.[4] The service included a new anthem, By Wisdom, by Judith Weir, Master of the Queen's Music, with words from the third chapter of the Book of Proverbs.[5] Other choral music was the anthem I was glad by Hubert Parry, Psalm 24 with Anglican chant by Joseph Barnby, and the Benedicite by Francis Jackson. Congregational hymns were Christ is Made the Sure Foundation, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise and Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken. Before and after the service, the Cathedral Guild of Bell Ringers rang Stedman Cinques.[4]

The service ended with a blessing given by the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, and the singing of the national anthem, God Save the Queen.

After the service, Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country at 16 tonnes, rang for four hours.[1] It was the first royal occasion for which it had been rung since its restoration in 2021.[6]

Guests

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive for the service

On 2 June, it was announced that the Queen would not be attending the service as she had experienced "some discomfort" while watching the Trooping of the Colour parade the previous day.[7] The Archbishop of Canterbury, who had been due to officiate, and the Duke of York also did not attend as they had tested positive for COVID-19.[2]

In addition to the members of the British royal family, senior politicians and members of the diplomatic corps listed below, the 2,000-strong congregation included 400 health workers, public servants and charity representatives, in recognition of their community service during the Queen's reign.[1][2]

The service was notable as the first public engagement in the United Kingdom by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since they stepped down as working royals in 2020.[1]

The Queen watched the service on television.[8]

The Royal Family

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Other descendants of the Queen's paternal grandfather King George V and their families:

Politicians and vice-regal representatives

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Governors-General Dame Cindy Kiro, General David Hurley, and Mary Simon inside the Cathedral

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f BBC News, "Platinum Jubilee: Queen celebrated at service for 'staying the course'" Archived 3 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine, 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d The Guardian, "Queen's absence strikes symbolic note as royals gather at jubilee service" Archived 4 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine, 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  3. ^ The Guardian, "Boris Johnson booed as he arrives at St Paul’s for platinum jubilee event" Archived 3 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine, 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  4. ^ a b St Paul's Cathedral, Order of Service Archived 3 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Platinum Jubilee celebrations". St Paul's Cathedral. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Updates on Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Weekend". The Royal Family. 6 May 2022. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  7. ^ BBC, "Platinum Jubilee: Queen pulls out of St Paul's Cathedral service" Archived 4 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine, 3 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Queen Elizabeth II: Archbishop of York recalls doing jigsaw with Queen". BBC News. 10 September 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "In pictures: Harry and Meghan join royals for National Service of Thanksgiving". BBC News. 3 June 2022. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  10. ^ Petter, Olivia (3 June 2022). "Platinum Jubilee: Carrie Johnson wears red fitted dress and matching hat for Thanksgiving Service". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  11. ^ Evans, Greg (3 June 2022). "Priti Patel compared to Dolores Umbridge for her shocking pink Jubilee outfit". Indy100. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  12. ^ Stevenson, Meil; Ainsworth, Richard (3 June 2022). "Platinum Jubilee Day 2 in pictures: Royals attend moving thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h Osborne, Samuel (3 June 2022). "Who was at the Queen's Jubilee service of thanksgiving? Royal Family joined by Harry, Meghan and politicians past and present". Sky News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  14. ^ Webster, Laura (3 June 2022). "Nicola Sturgeon attends St Paul's service after paying tribute to Queen on her Platinum Jubilee". The National. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  15. ^ Duggan, Joe; Blackall, Molly (3 June 2022). "Boris Johnson booed by crowd at St Paul's as he arrives for Platinum Jubilee thanksgiving service". i. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  16. ^ Noble, Phil (3 June 2022). "Queen Elizabeth II skips Platinum Jubilee church service". The Brunswick News. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Governor General to Attend Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in London". The Governor General of Canada. 2 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  18. ^ "London, United Kingdom". The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Governor-General's Visit To The UK For The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Week". Scoop. 31 May 2022. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  20. ^ "G-G Attends Queen's Platinum Jubilee". Loop. 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
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