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The Platinum Jubilee: The End of an Era?
Life in Britain beyond Queen Elizabeth II and the monarchy.
Britain is bracing itself for the biggest party ever.
The buntings are up across disparate parts of the country and in central London, where the action is at its zenith, the horse guard parade leading all the way to the palace has completely taken over and streets have been blocked for this very special occasion.
As my neighbour said to me:
You can build a continent out of the union flags everywhere
That so much money is being expended on a party is somewhat strange.
I write this because of the economic carnage inflicted on the British people by the Conservative government and the fall out from Covid, but it’s clear that this is quite different from anything that we have seen before.
But why exactly is it different this time?
The United Kingdom is celebrating the reign of the longest serving monarch in its entire history. And you get the distinct impression that this could very well be the last that Elizabeth Windsor gets to celebrate, given her recent health troubles.
And what a journey it has been!
With the notable exception of the sun king — Louis XIV — and Bhumibol Adulyajeh, who were…