The Queen’s platinum jubilee is exactly what Britain needs right now

With the economic outlook looking bleak, a bit of royal pomp to gee us up in these difficult times might just hit the spot, writes Salma Shah

After the last few depressing and debilitating years, there’s nothing I want more than twee street parties (Getty)

Is anyone else just really looking forward to the Queen’s platinum jubilee? The list of approved events were released this week and the four-day “platinum central weekend” starting on the 4 June is going to feature a “pageant” on the streets of central London and that most royal of events, a variety show.

After the last few depressing and debilitating years, there’s nothing I want more than twee street parties, brightly coloured fascinators and unabashed bunting decorating a quintessentially British summer. Sophisticates will scoff, republicans will bristle but the trestle tables donned with camp paper tablecloths are going to form the aesthetic du jour in 2022.

Granted that we don’t even know whether HMQ will rock up to her own celebrations, but let’s face it, with the economic outlook looking so bleak thanks to rising inflation stalking our every move and depressing news from Ukraine – a bit of royal pomp to gee us up in these difficult times might just hit the spot. The spot being a case of self-absorbed ennui.

What else could shake you out of a funk like Basil Brush celebrating Her Maj’s 70 years on the throne? Sharing the honour with Ed Sheeran and Cliff Richard? It’s that wholesome, predictable and comforting banality that I’m most looking forward to. The ambient background of a jubilee parade broadcast by the BBC that feels incomprehensibly timeless.

In such situations, the settled order of things is of most comfort. The well-rehearsed elements of a good royal shindig, the fly past, the acts of worship, the Duke of York watching from a window out of sight at the palace. I can’t think of anything more patriotic.

There have already been plans to make this extra bank holiday a permanent fixture in our calendars, which have obviously been shot down by the killjoys in HM Treasury, but an extra day to celebrate 70 remarkable years seems an apt tribute – not just to the Queen but to the nation. It’s a nod to what we’ve all endured during the pandemic. We need to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

That togetherness is something we haven’t experienced in a while. It is a positive posture, not one dictated by necessity as was the way with the pandemic, but one propelled by a sense of community and shared purpose.

It might not mean very much on the surface but putting your hand up to take a “pageant pack” and working towards hosting your own events to mark the occasion is an act of bravery. Corralling your neighbours on the street’s WhatsApp group is a kindness. If we don’t want to lose that sense of camaraderie developed in our most difficult time, then surely the 70th anniversary of the monarch is a great place to start.

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Of course, you can rationalise these things as pointless and the people who get jubilees are outdated and ridiculous, but then you miss the point of what cross-cutting power these forces have. Galvanising people against something is far easier than making a positive contribution to life.

The golden jubilee was the first anniversary of this Elizabethan reign I can recall, and the silly floats of the parade past Buckingham Palace were a delight. Ditto the washed-out flotilla for the diamond celebrations. What memories await this time?

In any case, it’s fun to promote the “Merry old England” vibes because nostalgia, whilst dangerous in excess, can be a lovely cure for sadness in small doses.