TORONTO – Queen Elizabeth II’s celebration of her 60 years on the throne is crossing worldwide borders.
It’ll be a lavish few days of fireworks, parades and street parties lasting long into the night to commemorate the Queen of England’s six decades as Monarch.
To mark the Diamond Jubilee, a number of show-stopping events have been scheduled around the globe in all corners of England’s Commonwealth.
Take a look at what Commonwealth countries are doing to mark the occasion.
This top 5 was compiled by Cheapflights.ca, a website that helps millions of visitors find travel deals online.
1. The United Kingdom: London is the place to be for the Diamond Jubilee. Walk along the River Thames and see up to 1,000 boats in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. See if you can spot the Royal Barge – the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be on it. The events will culminate on Tuesday with a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, a procession with all three military services and an appearance by the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. In Scotland, beacons will be lit on Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. Over in Wales, parties, parades, fairs and exhibitions will be staged to mark the Jubilee.
2. Canada: In Canada, a new commemorative medal named the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal has been created. The medal is a way for Canada to honour the Queen’s service to the country as well as achievements by Canadians. During 2012, 60,000 Canadians will be recognized and awarded the medal. Canada will also take part by lighting beacons as part of the Commonwealth celebrations. The Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, British Columbia will mount an exhibition of Cecil Beaton photographs of Elizabeth II from June 1-Sept 3.
Take a look at how Global News is covering the Diamond Jubilee.
3. Gibraltar: As the Diamond Jubilee is celebrated, it will have been 58 years since the Queen and Prince Phillip arrived in Gibraltar as part of Her Majesty’s Coronation Tour in May 1954, and Gibraltar wants to celebrate. The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Gibraltar from June 11-13, and Gibraltar’s tourist board is planning many celebratory events. They are proposing to light beacons in the Commonwealth-wide plan, arrange charity fundraising events and organize a sporting competition to create a new Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Cup for the winning sport.
4. Australia: On Monday, June 4, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will light a beacon on top of Parliament House in Canberra. Parks Place in the Parliamentary zone will be renamed Queen Elizabeth Terrace, which will complement the names of adjacent streets Queen Victoria, King Edward and King George Terraces. If you’re after a collector’s item, purchase a Jubilee stamp issued by Australia Post; the Jubilee coin issued by the Royal Australian Mint sold out in record time. Toward the end of 2012, Australia will welcome the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for a visit.
5. New Zealand: On June 4, New Zealanders will celebrate the Queen’s birthday and the Queen’s Honours list will be released. This year, the celebrations will be even bigger. New Zealand Post created a special commemorative stamp honouring the milestone. New Zealand will pay tribute by lighting beacons along with other Commonwealth countries. In addition, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit New Zealand in November on their Commonwealth tour as representatives of the Queen.
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