The Rugby Football League today congratulates Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee, which marks the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne in 1952.
Official events to mark the occasion begin today (Thursday 2 June) with the Trooping the Colour – the annual Queen’s Birthday Parade which has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years.
And the tradition of celebrating royal jubilees, weddings and coronations with the lighting of beacons continues for the Platinum Jubilee. More than 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the United Kingdom and other territories, many of them in Rugby League heartlands such as Barrow-in-Furness, Halifax and Warrington.
RFL Chair Simon Johnson says: “On behalf of the RFL and the wider Rugby League community, I humbly congratulate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee and on the unprecedented duration of her glorious reign. Throughout that time, her sense of duty and commitment, together with her spirit of wisdom and understanding, has been strong and steadfast.
“The Royal Family and Rugby League have had a long and affectionate relationship. Indeed, Queen Elizabeth’s father King George VI was the first reigning monarch to attend the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in 1948. 12 years later, HM Queen Elizabeth herself presented the Challenge Cup trophy to Wakefield Trinity captain Derek ‘Rocky’ Turner at the same stadium. Our sport also has the honour of the Duchess of Cambridge now being Patron of the Rugby Football League.
“Her Majesty has been a permanent and reassuring presence throughout my own life and the lives of most Rugby League supporters. Together, we should give grateful thanks for Her Majesty’s constant and positive influence on generation after generation in this country.”
