Queen Victoria and the First British Diamond Jubilee

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was celebrated as a festival across the British Empire. The two were interconnected, at the Queen's suggestion. She wanted the culmination of six decades on the throne to jointly be a glorification of her nation's global power.

This was Britain's Imperial Century, when the country's superpower status was barely challenged. The map of the world was splattered with red, as more and more territories came under Westminster's control. Victoria was monarch of them all.

On June 20th 1897, the day that she actually marked sixty years as queen, church services were conducted in her honor, wherever British rule held sway. It was Sunday.

The grandeur really came a couple of days later, when national holidays were declared throughout the British Empire. June 22nd was the date which many at the time associated with the Diamond Jubilee, because that's when they had the parties. If possible, it was also the day when as many of her subjects as could make it descended upon London.

There was a six mile procession from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's. Victoria's honor guard included troops and military officers, who had sailed in from around the world. Jamaican Artillerymen marched alongside New Zealand Mounted Troops; Bengal Lancers marched with the British Escort of the 2nd Life Guards, with many more besides.

The following day, the Daily Mail newspaper ran a report which read, 'Up they came, more and more, new types, new realms at every couple of yards, an anthropological museum – a living gazetteer of the British Empire'.

Of course, in their midst was the Queen-Empress herself. She sat with members of her family in an open top carriage, cheered by crowds all along the route.

Their destination was St Paul's Cathedral, where a service was heard in thanksgiving for her reign. It happened outside, without Victoria ever alighting from her carriage.

This was not really out of respect for the thousands who would not have fit inside. It was because the Queen's advanced years (she was 78) had brought with them crippling rheumatism. She couldn't climb the stairs into the cathedral without much agony and a loss of grace. This way she kept her dignity, while the eyes of the world were upon her.

The prime ministers of all Victoria's dominion states were invited to attend a Grand Banquet in Buckingham Palace. None of them had come empty-handed and amongst their gifts, each arrived with an orchid grown in their country.

These were collected into a 9ft floral arrangement in the shape of a crown. It symbolized loud and clear who was the boss, especially since it was positioned behind the Queen's table.

The flowers weren't the only imports that night. Twenty-four chefs had been brought in from Paris, in France, to create dishes fit for the occasion. Apparently they left a short-lived fashion for curled mustaches, amongst the young male apprentices who saw them!

Queen Victoria was quite a fast eater. While banquets were supposed to go on for hours, she could wolf through several courses in just half an hour. It must have caused a lot of diplomatic confusion, as heads of state followed protocol in only eating when she did.

Once the food had all been consumed, it was time for the evening's entertainment. This was a magnificent fireworks display, hosted in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.  Victoria was wheeled out in her chair, surrounded by princely escorts, to watch it.

Meanwhile, it wasn't just the rich and noble who were enjoying massive meals. Alexandra, the Princess of Wales, organized a series of charity banquets to give the poor a taste of royal fare. 700 tons of food was prepared by 10,000 waiters, in order to feed over 400,000 impoverished Londoners.

It might have been Princess Alexandra's idea, but the money to fund it came from millionaire Sir William Lipton!

Taking her lead, several cities across the British Empire staged their own banquets for the poor, organized by noble ladies wishing to emulate royalty. No doubt the poor were just glad of the free grub!