A RIGHT ROYAL CELEBRATION
In 2022, the Queen became the first British monarch to achieve a Platinum Jubilee, after reigning for 70 years. She was visibly ailing, and while celebrations did take place, including a pageant, a concert and a flypast, she was mostly absent. The key theme was ‘thank you, ma’am’, rather than the joyful theme of ten years earlier. At Dulwich College, the jubilee was commem- orated on Founder’s Day, with the orchestra playing
Writing just before the coronation of Charles III, Nicholas Wales (Year 12) takes a look at the royal celebrations of the past, with a little help from the College Archives
R oyal jubilees are relatively rare events. The first British one was celebrated in 1809, and there have been only seven since then. They have mostly been joyous occasions, allowing many to celebrate the monarch, the country and the community. Dulwich Col- lege has played its part, over the years, in changing ways. In 1809 George III began his fiftieth year on the throne, and a jubilee was announced to ‘excite a spirit of loyal enthusiasm’. 650 locations, in England alone, marked this first jubilee. It seems likely that Dulwich College will have
central London, which included the observation that ‘the enthusiasm displayed baffles description’. Ten years later, when Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, the euphoria reached a level that would cause any republican today to shudder. 50,000 troops took part in the biggest procession seen in London at that time and thousands packed the streets of London, cheer- ing and singing the national anthem as Victoria drove past. Again, Dulwich College actively embraced these celebra- tions, this time with a jubilee procession; in addition, the Dulwich Corps travelled to Windsor for inspection by the Queen. On Founder’s Day, the Master led three cheers for the Queen, and announced three days’ more holiday. By 1935, George V had reigned for 25 years, and the government decided to celebrate his Silver Jubilee. The king drove through London and appeared on the balcony to cheering crowds. When he drove through the poorer parts of London, he received the most ecstatic welcome, with bunting, singing, flag-waving and cheering. Following his death a year later, the Alleynian ’s editorial described the jubilee year as ‘that final reward for long and untiring service’ adding that it ‘proved beyond doubt the loyalty, affection and high esteem’ which theBritish people felt for King George. Even months later, the memory of the jubilee and its intense emotions remained strong. During the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II, half of all the royal jubilees ever held were celebrated. Her Silver Jubilee in 1977 involved a tour of the Commonwealth, the lighting of beacons, a thanksgiving service with huge crowds lining the streets of London, and a balcony ap- pearance. The Alleynian records an art exhibition as being ‘a fitting tribute to jubilee year’ and describes the arrival
Crown Imperial: a Coro- nation March. DUCKS and the Junior School had picnics, while the Wode- house Library launched The Big Jubilee Read, featuring books from across the Commonwealth. But within the Alleynian in 2022, there was no mention of the jubilee, and 33% of all people who replied to a survey which I sent out to the Middle and Upper School said that they had not celebrated. While the regard for the monarchy remained high – 59 out of 109 gave it six or more out of ten in my survey – there was no evidence of the widespread elation shown a decade before. When Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, the euphoria reached a level that would cause any republican today to shudder Over time, the focus of royal jubilees has changed from being a celebration of British imperial power to being more of a celebration of the community, with a philan- thropic mood. Support for the monarchy remains strong and shows no signs of collapse. But the poignancy of last year’s jubilee, and the recognition that, in some ways, it anticipated our farewell to the Queen, gave it less of a joyful tone than previous ones. At the time of writing, we are preparing for May’s coronation, and it remains to be seen whether the same joy that was felt at the jubilees of years past will be the keynote to this royal celebration. ◎
of a Silver Jubilee taxicab at a College fête. Her Golden Jubilee in 2002 featured a concert in the gardens of Buckingham Palace and the Queen riding in the Gold State Coach to a thanksgiving service. That year’s Alleynian noted that ‘jubilee spirit’ overtook everyone from the golf team to Barry Graham, noting the latter’s ‘jubilee excuses’ for ‘each of the tunes’ at the Founder’s Day concert, on which occasion many ‘dedicated Jubileers stood and sang’. Union jacks were festooned across the school. In 2012, Elizabeth became only the second monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee. Even some republicans took part in the widespread celebrations, which included a pageant down the Thames, a flypast, a concert and a thanksgiving service. Harry Millan, arguing for a republic in the Alleynian , praised the Queen for serving ‘magnif- icently’ and called for us to elect ‘the experienced, able and dutiful Queen’. The Alleynian declared that ‘with the summer of 2012 carrying the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics’, it was time to ‘celebrate achievement and reflect on our own progress’. Both the Olympics and the jubilee came together to create a general celebratory attitude within the country.
Royal jubilees are relatively rare events; the first British one was celebrated in 1809
celebrated, although the Register Books, Exceat Books and governor meeting minutes from the time do not in fact record anything related to the jubilee. By the time of the next jubilee, in 1887, the school had moved to its current location and had a new record for major events – the Alleynian . Victoria had reigned for fifty years, and there were major Golden Jubilee celebrations, including greetings from heads of state, bonfires across Britain and a large procession of imperial troops in Lon- don. In May 1887, the Alleynian published a letter from Oxford describing the ‘jubilee mania’ across the country, and asking how the school would celebrate. The entire editorial of the following month’s issue was devoted to the Golden Jubilee, describing how ‘everything is in a state of jubilee’ and noting that the school had tried its best ‘to commemorate the Jubilee Year of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen.’ There followed a long poem in praise of the Queen, and an article describing celebrations in
In May 1887, the Alleynian published a letter describing the ‘jubilee mania’ across the country
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