The British Queen Elizabeth lit so-called beacons at Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening. Her platinum anniversary is celebrated with the lighting of the beacons. The Queen pressed a large button after which the main beacon with The Tree of Trees was lit.
The beacon consists of a 21 meter high tree made up of 350 smaller trees. After the Queen’s lighting of the beacon, American singer Gregory Porter sang a song and Buckingham Palace was put in the spotlight with a light show.
Beacons have been lit across the UK. This celebrates Elizabeth’s 70th birthday on the throne. Beacons were lit not only in her homeland, but also in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the British Overseas Territories.
The aim is for the beacons to form a kind of chain, as used to be the case as a means of communication. Today, the beacons have become a symbol of unity between cities, countries and continents.
In 1897, beacons were lit to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. In 1977, 2002 and 2012, Elizabeth’s Silver, Gold and Diamond Jubilees were also celebrated with landmarks, as was Elizabeth’s 90th birthday in 2016.
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