The UK might be treated to an extra public holiday this summer, to mark the Queen’s record Sapphire Jubilee.
Tomorrow, Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell will introduce his Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee Bill to the House of Commons, which would guarantee a celebration in the UK and the Commonwealth. Should it be passed, a public holiday would be held in June to mark the Queen’s 65 years as our monarch.
Failing to mark this important milestone with a national celebration would be a ‘missed opportunity,’ according to Rosindell, the MP for Romford.
‘It’s almost certainly going to be a very long time before any monarch gets anywhere near 65 years,’ he said.
‘It’s the first time we’ve had a Sapphire Jubilee and if we let this go by and don’t have some sort of national day of celebration, it’ll be a missed opportunity. It’s also for the young people – I remember the Silver Jubilee as a kid and learnt how important these national occasions are.’
Back in 2012, an extra Bank Holiday was held on the Queen’s official birthday, June 4th, for her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the throne. The traditional late spring bank holiday, which usually falls at the end of May, was held back until June 5th, giving the UK a four-day weekend.
Rosindell added that the Queen is a ‘very modest’ person who might not necessarily want to mark the occasion with a major celebration, and affirmed he would not want to do anything that contradicted with her wishes.
The MP has shared his ideas with Prime Minister Theresa May, who is said to have responded positively, so we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed on this one…
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