THERE has been talk in recent days of what should be done in 2022 to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee – she will have reigned for 70 years on February 6 of that year, but plans are in place for a four-day celebration in early June.
There's no real template – no British monarch has ever reigned for 70 years. Victoria came closest at 63 years, 216 days, with honourable mentions for George III (59 years, 96 days) and our own James VI (57 years, 246 days).
It will, no doubt, be a joyous occasion, as it was when the Queen, then a comparative novice in the role, celebrated her Silver Jubilee. She had expressed a wish to meet as many of her subjects as possible, and Glasgow certainly did her proud when she visited the city in May, 1977. She is pictured, right, on a walkabout in George Square.
The Glasgow Herald was enthralled. "Better than VE Day!", began our front-page splash on May 18. "That was the unanimous verdict last night at the end of day when Glasgow showed her acceptable smiling face and warm heart to the Queen.
"About 200,000 citizens spilled into the sunny, bunting-hung streets to cheer an overwhelming welcome for the royal visitors."
Our reporter, George Forbes, added: "The Queen met more than 1000 uniformed and liveried dignitaries at the celebrations – but none of them summed up the informal depth of Glasgow's welcome more than the bonnetted wifey in George Square who greeted Her Majesty ecstatically with "Guid oan ye, Missus."
In the evening the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had attended a Royal Variety Show at the King's Theatre. Her Majesty is pictured above chatting to some of the performers backstage after the show: The Jacksons, Eric Sykes, Ronnie Corbett, Frankie Howerd, Shari Lewis, David Soul and Dolly Parton, Other artists not pictured included Sydney Devine and Lena Zavaroni.
Who, we wonder, would form the ideal line-up for a Platinum Jubilee Royal Variety Performance? Aside from the now-obligatory Briain's Got Talent Winner, of course...
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