Diamond Wedding Anniversary Holiday

From the Daily Mail newspaper:

Tony Blair is to announce a public holiday to celebrate the Queen’s diamond wedding anniversary later this year, I can reveal.

It is being presented in Whitehall as recognition of her achievement in becoming the first monarch in history to record 60 years of marriage. The anniversary falls on November 20 when the Queen and Prince Philip will return to Westminster Abbey, where they married in the austere winter of 1947, for a thanksgiving service.

It is likely that rather than disrupt the school year, the holiday will be on the Tuesday after the August Bank Holiday, although officials have not ruled out a date closer to the actual anniversary.

August is a sensitive month for royal aides with the tenth anniversary of Princess Diana’s death falling on the 31st, when there will be a memorial service.

The proposed holiday will be the first extra day off for the country since the Queen’s Jubilee five years ago. Seven years ago, Downing Street was attacked for not marking the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday with a public holiday.

Nevertheless, the revelation that the proposal is under consideration is bound to see critics accuse the Prime Minister of cashing in on the Queen’s appeal as he tries to salvage some goodwill before leaving office.

It can also be no coincidence that the idea - which courtiers confirm is under discussion - comes at a time when the Queen’s popularity is soaring following the success of Dame Helen Mirren’s film about the sovereign.

Plans are already under way to mark the November anniversary with a silver £5 coin and commemorative stamps.

The Queen and Prince Philip have marked all their major wedding anniversaries with church services and although St Paul’s Cathedral was considered this time, they have opted to go back to where they made their marriage vows.

“The bank holiday is seen as the appropriate way to acknowledge the contribution the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have made to public life,” a Whitehall official tells me.

I do think it's a nice idea for the UK to honour Her Majesty in this way, however it would be interesting if it really happens, (and wouldn't it be nice for Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the other realms to follow suit).