 | This articleis missing information about the details of the events of the four days. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(May 2022) |
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| Date | 12–15 May 2022 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Windsor Castle |
| Theme | Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II |
| Website | platinumjubilee.com |
Platinum Jubilee Celebration: A Gallop Through History was anequestrian event held in the grounds ofWindsor Castle on four evenings from 12 to 15 May 2022, as part ofElizabeth II'sPlatinum Jubilee celebrations.[1]
The event featured some of the world's greatest equestrian displays.[2] Each night, the event was attended by members of theroyal family, including theDuke andDuchess of Gloucester, theEarl andCountess of Wessex and Forfar, thePrincess Royal, and the Queen, who attended on 15 May.[3]Princess Beatrice and her husband,Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi also attended the charity preview of the event.[3]
Split into four acts, "Queen Elizabeth I", "The Crown, Lost and Found", "The Crown Around the World", and "One United Kingdom Under One Crown",[3] the show featured more than 1,000 performers and 500 horses, and told the story of the monarchy fromQueen Elizabeth I to Queen Elizabeth II.
The first act focused on the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which took the audience on a journey from theSpanish Armada through to Queen Elizabeth I'sTilbury speech. It also featured the celebrities of the time including playwrightsWilliam Shakespeare andChristopher Marlowe. Both the Corps of Drums of Her Majesty's Royal Marines and the Pony Club featured in this act; the Pony Club acted as the Queen's messengers, bringing news to the herald on the progress of the war with the Spanish Armada.[4]
The second act explored the era ofJames I, theGunpowder Plot, the time ofOliver Cromwell, the death ofCharles I and then therestoration ofCharles II. The act also featured a segment on KingLouis XIV of France, which included a performance fromLa Garde Republicaine from France. The Household Cavalry Musical Ride also performed in this act.[4]
The third act showcased the United Kingdom's history of world exploration, with a focus on famous explorers includingEdmund Hillary,Walter Raleigh,Francis Drake,James Cook,Captain Bligh,Scott of the Antarctic,David Livingstone andHenry Morton Stanley. The act featured international displays, including the Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland, Kings Guard of Norway, The Royal Cavalry of Oman, Emerald Storm from Northern Ireland, The Bollywood Company from India, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra, The Santa Siberian Huskies and Azerbaijan – Land of Fire. Comedy charactersBarrington andBillington entertained crowds throughout the act.[4]
The fourth and the last act celebrated the strength of the UK's four nations and the Commonwealth, as well as Queen Elizabeth II and her achievements over the past seventy years. Performances were given by the Kings Troop, Massed Pipes and Drums, Dancers of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Emerald Storm and the Academy Voices (Welsh Choir). The act ended with a focus on the Queen's love of horses. The finale of this segment featured a parade of state coaches and royal carriages and the Queen's show horses and ponies.[4]
DameHelen Mirren played the role of Queen Elizabeth I withOmid Djalili as a court herald, and singersKatherine Jenkins,Gregory Porter andKeala Settle also gave performances.Julie Etchingham andPhillip Schofield presented coverage of the event from a studio, along withAdjoa Andoh,Martin Clunes,Tom Cruise,Damian Lewis andAlan Titchmarsh in the arena.
Members of theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police'sMusical Ride performedceremonial duties on former Musical Ride horses that were gifted to the Queen.[6]
The Queen's youngest granddaughter,Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, drove in the carriage that once belonged to her grandfather, theDuke of Edinburgh, and had been featured in hisfuneral.[8]
The event was broadcast live onITV at 20:00 BST on Sunday 15 May 2022.