Commonwealth missions in Dhaka celebrates British Queen’s platinum jubilee

The British High Commission, the High Commission of Canada, and the High Commission of India in Dhaka were all covered in dazzling royal purple lights between 6pm and 9pm on Thursday (2 June) to mark the platinum jubilee of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth has become the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the realms and the Commonwealth, reads a British High Commission press statement.

As Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth has dedicated herself to the service of its people, becoming a much loved and respected figure across the globe, acting as a unifying force and being a source of continuity and stability for it.

To mark the event, there are over 2500 public events happening in the UK this weekend. 

In Bangladesh, the platinum jubilee was marked at the Queen's Birthday Party, hosted on 25 May under the theme "empowering girls to change their world", where a significant portion of the sponsorship raised for the event was used to support girls' education across Bangladesh through the British Council's EDGE Programme.

The British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, HE Robert Chatterton Dickson, said, "The Queen has been a dedicated servant of the United Kingdom, the realms and the Commonwealth and it's wonderful that we are able to celebrate her service by lighting up our buildings on her birthday. With over 260 official visits overseas, including to Bangladesh in 1983, Queen Elizabeth has been the UK's foremost diplomat, affirming old relationships and building new connections, strengthening the bonds of friendship, understanding and respect between the UK, the Commonwealth, and the rest of the world."

 The High Commissioner of Canada to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls said, "On this anniversary, we join millions of people in Canada and across the Commonwealth in congratulating the queen on her Platinum Jubilee. To mark this very special occasion the High Commission is lit royal purple today, and we thank the queen for her tireless service and dedication as sovereign."

The High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vikram K Doraiswami said, "Indians in Bangladesh extend warm greetings to family members of the Commonwealth here in Dhaka on the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

"For India, as an early member of the modern Commonwealth since our independence, Queen Elizabeth reign both as Sovereign of the United Kingdom and as Head of Commonwealth, is synonymous with an extraordinary era of growth, and development of our fraternal ties with the Commonwealth family. The queen's leadership these past 70 years has always been inspiring. In tribute to her and in celebration of the spirit of the modern Commonwealth, the High Commission of India is delighted to join other partners in lighting our mission in royal purple today.

"On this occasion, we renew our pledges and commit to work collectively to re-energise and re-invigorate the Commonwealth to forge constructive and effective responses to the many challenges of our times."

The Commonwealth, which is headed by the queen, has grown from 8 to 54 members in the last 70 years. Currently, the queen is head of state of 15 countries in the Commonwealth realm, including the UK. 

The other nations are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.