Marking the Platinum Jubilee

Her Majesty The Queen is the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service. St Catharine’s has held a Royal Charter since 1475 and the College community is marking the Jubilee in a number of ways.

The Jubilee brings back fond memories of when the College hosted a visit from The Queen and His Late Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on 29 May 1981. A lunchtime reception enabled our visitors to meet members of the College community and other guests under a marquee in Main Court, followed by a simple meal in the Hall of salmon in aspic, petits pois, new potatoes and hollandaise sauce.

Professor Sir John Baker (1971; Honorary Fellow 2012), Emeritus Downing Professor of the Laws of England, was among those who had an opportunity to meet The Queen on her visit to St Catharine’s. He recalls:

“For a few hours in May 1981, St Catharine’s became briefly the royal court, for the purposes of presenting a loyal address in hall on the engagement of the heir to the throne – the first time a loyal address had been presented in Cambridge. I had the honour of showing The Queen an exhibition in the Senior Combination Room (SCR), which included items from the 1847 visit to the College by Queen Victoria such as the menu (printed on silk), the woodcut showing our then Master walking backwards before Victoria across the Main Court, the silver inkwell presented to the College after the visit, and the biography of Prince Albert sent to the College by Victoria after his death in 1861 ‘in memory of happier times’. The Queen was touched by this inscription, and we had a brief conversation about Victoria’s deep despair on losing Albert. I also obtained The Queen’s gracious permission to commemorate the two royal visits by placing the royal arms and cyphers in the bay window of the SCR.”

The focus of the College’s commemorative activities will be the Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend taking place 2–5 June 2022:

• The main flagpole on the Island site will fly the Union Flag for four days (2–5 June inclusive) and there will be bunting in Main Court.
• Choral Evensong in the Chapel on 5 June will celebrate both the Jubilee and the feast of Pentecost, with music by Elgar and Howells. The service will be livestreamed on YouTube and followed by refreshments for members of the community who are able to join in person.
• The College is pleased to extend our weekly ‘Tea@3’ refreshments, which are provided by the Health & Wellbeing Team and Catering Team each Wednesday at 3pm during the examination period to encourage students, staff and Fellows to connect and take a break from work: a special series of ‘Tea@3’ events will run at 3pm each day during 1–3 June.
• Archival material from the 1981 visit will be featured in display cases in the Shakeshaft Library and the McGrath Centre foyer.
• ‘Queen of puddings’ will feature as the dessert for the formal dinner organised for our postgraduate students on 1 June and the formal hall on 5 June.

In addition, the College intends to answer the call to plant a tree during 2022 as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. The initiative recommends that tree planting happens in October so the Head Gardener will arrange for a tree to be planted on the Island site later in the year. In the meantime, our community and visitors will be able to enjoy red, white and blue accents to our free-standing planters.

The Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend falls during the Quiet Period when students are sitting or preparing for examinations so care has been taken to avoid any activities that might cause unnecessary disruption. Heads of Department are also facilitating as many staff as possible to take the time to celebrate with their families over the long weekend.