Facts Of High Pedigree & Update On Delivery For The Queen's Jubilee

We’re celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with some facts that are of high pedigree as well as providing an update on name label delivery over the bank holiday!

Facts Of High Pedigree That We Guarantee Will Get You In The Mood For The Jubilee!

1. The Platinum Jubilee celebrates the Queen’s 70^th year on the throne. She became queen on 6^th February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2^nd June 1953.
   
   
2. The Queen is the longest reigning British monarch AND the longest reigning female monarch in history. Other record-breaking monarchs include Louis XIV (King of France for 72 years and 110 days) and Sobhuza II (Paramount Chief then Ngwenyama of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days). The shortest reigning monarch is thought to be Louis XIX who was King of France for just 20 minutes before abdicating.
   
   
3. While Elizabeth became queen at 25 years old, Louis XIV became king at 4 years and 8 months old, while Sobhuza II became Paramount Chief at just 4 months old! Other young monarchs include Mary Queen of Scots (queen at 6 days old) and Henry VI of England (king at 9 months old). William IV was the oldest British monarch at the time of his coronation at 64 years and 309 days old. Prince Charles will beat this record by some way as he is currently 73!
   
   
4. The Queen’s coronation was unique in British history as the first to be televised. It is thought that over 20 million people watched in Britain (at an average of 17 people per television set) – with many buying their first television specifically to see the coronation.
   
   
5. Footage was flown around the world for international broadcasters. These flights included the first non-stop flights between the UK and Canada, as well as a record-breaking flight to Australia, which arrived in Sydney in just 53 hours and 28 minutes. Around 277 million people watched the coronation around the world.
   
   
6. The coronation took 14 months to plan; Elizabeth practiced with a sheet in place of her velvet train and a set of chairs acting as the carriage. She also practiced wearing the Imperial State Crown to get used to its weight – it contains 2,901 precious stones and weighs 1.06kg. The ceremony also involved being crowned with St Edward’s Crown, which contains 444 precious and semi-precious stones and weighs 2.23kg.
   
   
7. The Queen will be the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. She has also celebrated a Silver Jubilee (25 years – 1977), Ruby Jubilee (40 years – 1992), Golden Jubilee (50 years – 2002), Diamond Jubilee (60 years – 2012), and Sapphire Jubilee (65 years – 2017). The tradition began with George III who celebrated his Golden Jubilee in 1809. Only two other monarchs have reached similar milestones; Queen Victoria, who celebrated Golden and Diamond Jubilees, and George V, who celebrated his Silver Jubilee in 1935.
   
   
8. Special events launched for the Platinum Jubilee include:
   1. The Queen’s Green Canopy – over a million trees have been planted so far across the UK.
   2. The Tree Of Trees – a sculpture representing 350 native British trees.
   3. The Superbloom – a flower display in the moat of the Tower of London.
   4. The Platinum Pudding – a competition to create an official dessert for the Jubilee celebrations.
   5. The Big Jubilee Read – celebrating 70 books by commonwealth authors (10 from each decade of the Queen’s reign)
   6. The Jubilee Beacons – 54 beacons will be lit across the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, British Overseas Territories, and commonwealth countries.
   7. Winnie The Corgi – toy corgis knitted by the Women’s Institute have been hidden across the UK (with one containing a ticket to the Big Jubilee Lunch in London).
   8. 8 New Cities – 8 places have been awarded city status; Stanley (Falkland Islands), Douglas (Isle of Man), Bangor (Northern Ireland), Colchester (England), Doncaster (England), Milton Keynes (England), Dunfermline (Scotland), and Wrexham (Wales) are all now cities.
      
      
9. Other tributes include the name Queenie for a baby rhino born in Cotswold Wildlife Park; limited edition HM Sauce (HP Sauce) and Heinz Salad Queen (Salad Cream); a Queen barbie doll; and all manner of coins, flags, and (of course) stamps.
10. The Platinum Jubilee starts tomorrow! Everyone is encouraged to get involved with a Big Jubilee Lunch; a Platinum Jubilee Pageant; a Beacon Lighting; or Planting A Tree For The Jubilee. However you decide to get involved this weekend, we hope you have a jubilee that is full of glee!

An Update On Delivery As We Celebrate The Jubilee

We will be closing at 5pm this afternoon for the Jubilee Bank holiday and will re-open at 9am on Monday 6^th June.

If you place an order by 3pm today, we will print and post your name labels this afternoon. Delivery is free and uses Royal Mail’s first class service as standard. Most orders arrive in a couple of days – although delays may arise due to the Bank Holiday.

If you order after 3pm, we will print and post your name labels when we re-open on 6^th June.