June 3, 2022
The Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving was held at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Friday 3 June 2022, as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II.
Service.
The national service of thanksgiving included Bible readings, anthems, prayers and congregational hymns expressing thankfulness for the Queen's 70-year reign. The New Testament lesson, from the fourth chapter of St Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, was read by Boris Johnson, who, on his arrival, had been booed by the crowds.
In his sermon, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, remarked that the Queen, a horse-lover, was "still in the saddle" after 70 years on the throne and thanked her for "staying the course". He praised her as an example of "staunch constancy and a steadfast consistency; a faithfulness to God, an obedience to a vocation that is a bedrock of her life".
The combined choir of St Paul's and the Chapel Royal was directed by Andrew Carwood, and William Fox played the organ. Other musicians were the Band of the Royal Marines, Portsmouth and the Band of the Coldstream Guards, with state trumpters of the Household Cavalry and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. The service included a new anthem, "By Wisdom", by Judith Weir, Master of the Queen's Music, with words from the third chapter of the Book of Proverbs. Other choral music was the anthem "I was glad" by Hubert Parry, Psalm 24 with Anglican chant by Joseph Barnby, and the "Benedicite" by Francis Jackson. Congregational hymns were "Christ is Made the Sure Foundation", "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" and "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken". Before and after the service, the Cathedral Guild of Bell Ringers rang "Stedman Cinques".
The service ended with a blessing given by the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, and the singing of the national anthem, "God Save the Queen".
After the service, Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country at 16 tonnes, rang for four hours. It was the first royal occasion for which it had been rung since its restoration in 2021.
Guests.
On 2 June, it was announced that the Queen would not be attending the service as she had experienced "some discomfort" while watching the Trooping of the Colour parade the previous day. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who had been due to officiate, and the Duke of York also did not attend as they had tested positive for COVID-19.
In addition to the members of the British royal family, senior politicians and members of the diplomatic corps listed below, the 2,000-strong congregation included 400 health workers, public servants and charity representatives, in recognition of their community service during the Queen's reign.
The service was notable as the first public engagement in the United Kingdom by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since they stepped down as working royals in 2020.
The Queen watched the service on television.
The Royal Family.
Other descendants of the Queen's paternal grandfather King George V and their families:
References.
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