Platinum Jubilee book for school children sparks debate online

As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, every primary school child in the UK will receive a commemorative book about the Queen

The Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this year
(Image credit: STEVE PARSONS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years on the throne, every primary school child in the UK is set to receive a commemorative book. The cost of this project is reported to be around $16.3 million (£12 million), which has angered some online, while others argue this is a historic moment.


2022 is a big year for Her Majesty as she celebrates a historic reign on the throne, extending her title as the longest-reigning British monarch in history.

Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch on September 9, 2015, when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Victoria and this year she will celebrate becoming the first British monarch to see 70 years on the throne.

The Platinum Jubilee celebrations have already begun with a tea party, but one element of those celebratory offerings is currently facing a lot of backlash.

As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, school children will receive a commemorative book

(Image credit: Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

To commemorate and inform children about the history of Her Majesty's long reign, there are plans to send every primary school child in the UK a commemorative book about the Queen.

The cost of this is what’s dividing opinion, as the rumored cost of the project is just over $16 million (£12 million).

Dawn Butler, a British MP, has written to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on him to consider making the book an online source and using the money to address other issues facing schools, like adequate ventilation to prevent the spread of COVID.

Queen Elizabeth II being greeted by schoolchildren waving flags

(Image credit: Alastair Grant - WPA Pool / Getty Images)

In her letter, Dawn expressed admiration for the Queen but questioned the timing of such a costly gesture.

She wrote, "Like most people in the UK, I have a huge amount of respect for the Queen’s long record of public service, but I do not feel this is an appropriate commemoration…"

"At a time when the Department for Education has failed to ensure all schools have adequate ventilation, £12 million would go a long way to improving the situation and providing a bulwark against further spread of COVID-19 as infection rates remain high among young people."

Platinum Jubilee celebrations have already begun

(Image credit: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

While many have agreed with sentiments shared by the politician, others have pointed out this is a moment in history we may never see repeat.

One fan wrote on Twitter the plans are “absolutely justifiable. This is the first, and quite possibly only, time our Monarch celebrates 70 years on the throne”

Agreeing with this sentiment, another Twitter user wrote that the commemorative books sent to the children will be “something they will cherish for years to come,” comparing them to the books sent to children after the Queen’s coronation in 1952.

Jack Slater
Freelance writer

Jack Slater is not the Last Action Hero, but that's what comes up first when you Google him. Preferring a much more sedentary life, Jack gets his thrills by covering news, entertainment, celebrity, film and culture for woman&home, and other digital publications.

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