Beacons to be lit in 54 Commonwealth capitals to mark Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee

Worldwide event is designed to show unity and friendship among family of nations

Lewis Wilde tests one of the gas-fuelled beacons he has made at the Fountain Designs workshop in Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders, on March 9. They will be used to signal the start of British Queen ElShow more

Jubilee beacons are to be lit in all 54 Commonwealth capitals for the first time, spanning five continents, as part of the celebrations marking the Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne.

With 70 days to go until the start of the platinum jubilee weekend, Commonwealth nations and organisations have shared their plans for the festivities.

Beacons will be set ablaze on the evening of Thursday June 2, starting in Wellington, New Zealand, and Canberra, Australia.

They will then be lit across the Pacific region, through Asia, then the 19 African Commonwealth member states, followed by Europe, and the Caribbean and Americas.

Bruno Peak, pageant master of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons, said the event would show the unity and friendship among the family of nations.

“I am so excited that for the first time ever, beacons will be lit across all 54 Commonwealth capitals to celebrate the queen’s 70-year service as head of the association,” Mr Peak said.

“Starting in the Pacific and then moving to the Americas, the beacons lit to celebrate Her Majesty will also serve as a testament to the unity and friendship that extends across all 54 nations.

“The queen has lit up the Commonwealth over 70 years through visits and other engagements. It is only fitting that we do likewise for her.”

The queen is head of the Commonwealth and has used her jubilee to reaffirm the pledge she made in 1947 at the age of 21 to devote her life in service to the nation and Commonwealth.

Baroness Scotland, the Commonwealth’s secretary general, said the queen’s jubilee was a “special and unprecedented milestone”.

“In a world of extraordinary change, she is a constant. Throughout Her Majesty’s life and reign, her devotion to the Commonwealth has been absolute," she said.

“The modern, thriving Commonwealth of 2022 is in many ways a reflection of the strength we have all been able to draw from her.”

Beacons will be lit by Rotary International at locations including Rotary Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the grounds of Ottawa City Hall in Canada, and on the football pitch near the Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Young leaders will also fire up beacons through the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust in Lagos, Nigeria; Gurgoan, India; Couva, Point Lisas, Trinidad and Tobago; Sydney, Australia; and in Essex in the UK, among other places.

“The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust was set up in recognition of Her Majesty The Queen’s lifetime of service and her belief in young people as beacons of hope, the Commonwealth and service to others," said Lord Geidt, chairman of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust and her former private secretary.

“With over 60 per cent of the population of the Commonwealth being under 30 years of age, I am delighted that young people and young leaders will be represented in the Platinum Jubilee Beacons by beacons lit by members of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust Young Leaders network.”

More than 1,500 beacons will be set ablaze across the UK, with the principal beacon at Buckingham Palace part of a long tradition of marking significant royal occasions.