A CAPITAL STAY
London will be the centre of some of the biggest flag-waving Jubilee celebrations in the country, including the BBC’S Platinum Party at the Palace on Saturday 4 June. There will be street parties everywhere over the Jubilee weekend (visit platinumjubilee.gov.uk/events to find one near you and royal.uk/ platinumjubilee for official news and celebrations), as well as Trooping the Colour on 2 June and The Platinum Jubilee Pageant (platinumpageant. com) down The Mall on 5 June. Celebrations will continue throughout the summer – Marylebone Village (marylebonevillage.com) has a shopping and food festival on 18 and 19 June, while Hyde Park’s annual British Summer Time concerts (bst-hydepark.com) with Elton John, Adele and the Rolling Stones, are on from 24 June to 10 July. One of the closest places to stay to Buckingham Palace is The Goring (thegoring.com), which has been granted a Royal Warrant for hospitality services. The Goring Jubilee Stay, from £868 a night, includes a special afternoon tea, Jubilee Fizz cocktail and three-course Coronationinspired dinner in the Michelin-starred Dining Room with Champagne and the winning dessert from Fortnum & Mason’s Jubilee Platinum Pudding Competition.
At Buckingham Palace itself (rct.uk/visit/buckingham-palace, open 22 July to 2 October, £30pp), you can see a special exhibition about The Queen’s Accession, including the iconic portraits taken just 20 days later by Dorothy Wilding. These were sent to every British Embassy around the world and used as the basis for The Queen’s original image on postage stamps. The personal jewellery worn by Her Majesty for these iconic sittings will also be on show.