They have always been a traditional part of any jubilee celebration, and this weekend members of the Royal Family will join street-party style lunches to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will meet guests at a lunch laid on at The Oval cricket ground in south London on Sunday, while the Earl and Countess of Wessex will attend a lunch virtually in the Queen’s back garden, on the Long Walk running up to Windsor Castle.
The get-togethers are part of the Big Jubilee Lunches, a way that communities up and down the country are being encouraged to get involved in the jubilee celebrations.
More than 85,000 people have signed up to host lunches on Sunday.
Organisers say the events range from world-record attempts for the longest street party to back garden BBQs and “everything in between”.
At the Oval cricket ground Prince Charles and Camilla will be joined by 70 volunteers who have been recognised as Platinum Champions through the Royal Voluntary Service’s Platinum Champions Awards, celebrity ambassadors and various charity representatives.
The royal couple will also view a six-metre long artwork recreating a street party lunch, complete with a Platinum Pudding, Scotch eggs and fruit platters made by artist Lucy Sparrow. Later this year it’ll feature in an exhibition at Buckingham Palace.
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Prince Edward and Sophie will join people on The Long Walk in Windsor which will be transformed into “the Long Table” for the day, with street performers keeping the crowds entertained.
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More than 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches are being planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond – from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan, and South Africa to Switzerland.
The Big Lunch, which the Duchess of Cornwall has been patron of since 2013, is an annual event aimed at getting communities to come together.
Charles and Camilla will also celebrate the event with the residents of Albert Square in an EastEnders special, where they will be seen attending a Big Lunch in an episode due to air on Thursday.
