The Queen’s Legacy
Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
by Alexandra Palmer
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To consider the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II as we celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (The Queen's Legacy) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘Queen Elizabeth II – Defender of the Faith’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 2.01 minutes long and is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eLNTB3FlcI
- Optional: you may also wish to use the extension activity (The Queen's Legacy - Extension Activity) that accompanies this assembly.
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Ask the children who they can see in the pictures.
Ask the children, ‘What is the Queen celebrating this month?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Explain that the Queen is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, which marks 70 years since she became queen.
Explain that the photograph on the left was from the Queen’s coronation.
Ask the children, ‘What is a coronation?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Explain that a coronation is a ceremony where a king or queen is recognized as the official monarch. During the ceremony, a crown is placed upon their head and they make a promise to serve the country to the best of their ability. - Show Slide 2.
Explain that you are going to show the children four facts about the Queen and you want them to decide whether the facts are true or false. Ask them to vote for their answer by putting their thumbs up or down.
Show Slides 3-6.
Note: for each slide, click to reveal the answer and then move to the next slide. - Show Slide 7.
Ask the children, ‘What does the word “legacy” mean?’
Encourage the children to discuss their answer with the person sitting next to them.
Listen to a range of responses. - Show Slide 8.
Explain that a legacy is something that is passed on to the next generation.
Ask the children, ‘Who are the next generation?’
Listen to a range of responses. - Show Slide 9.
Ask the children, ‘Who are the people in this photograph? Who are these future kings?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Explain that we can see Prince Charles; his son, Prince William; and Prince William’s son, Prince George. They will be the next three kings of the UK. - Show Slide 10.
Explain that if we are going to consider the Queen’s legacy, we need to think about how we might describe her.
Let’s look at these pictures to help us. On the left, we can see the Queen with two of her grandchildren and five of her great-grandchildren. We can also see her celebrating her official birthday with some other family members. On the right, the Queen is pictured with her favourite dogs, which are Corgis. She is also especially fond of horses, and has been ever since she was a child.
Ask the children, ‘How would you describe the Queen?’
Encourage the children to discuss their thoughts with the person sitting next to them.
Listen to a range of responses.
Answers may include that she cares for her family, loves animals and is kind, beautiful, elderly, happy and joyful. Other answers may include that she wears smart clothes and hats, has a nice smile, likes to wave and so on. - Show Slide 11.
Explain that there are three words that often come up when people describe the Queen. These three words sum up her legacy: steadfast, constant and dutiful.
Ask the children, ‘What does “steadfast” mean?’
Listen to a range of responses.
If someone is steadfast, they are unchanging and loyal. The word describes the Queen’s commitment to her role of serving our country. It is a role that she has never wanted to give up.
Ask the children, ‘What does “constant” mean?’
Listen to a range of responses.
If something is constant, it does not change. For example, the earth constantly revolves around the sun.
Even as the Queen has aged, her attitude towards her role has never changed. She has continued to carry out her duties even when her personal circumstances have changed, or major world events have occurred. For example, when we went into lockdown, the Queen continued to meet people virtually.
Ask the children, ‘What does “dutiful” mean?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Being dutiful means being obedient and fulfilling one’s duty.
Unless the Queen is sick, she always fulfils her duty, whether she is meeting the leaders of other countries, attending important church services like the annual Service of Remembrance on 11 November, reading daily parliamentary documents or meeting members of the public.
Time for reflection
Click Slide 11 to reveal the question.
Ask the children, ‘How has the Queen managed to be steadfast, constant and dutiful for 70 years?’
Listen to a range of responses.
The answer is her Christian faith.
Show the YouTube video ‘Queen Elizabeth II – Defender of the Faith’ (2.01 minutes long).
Show Slide 12.
In the video, there was a quotation from the Queen about how important her faith has been during the good times and the bad. The Queen believes in the importance of prayer in her daily life and understands that Jesus was sent to earth to serve, not be served. This is a great way to describe how the Queen sees her role – to serve the country rather than being served by it.
Thinking quietly, what life lessons can we learn from the Queen?
Pause to allow time for thought.
If there is time, listen to a range of responses.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the Queen and her lifelong service to our country.
Thank you for her steadfastness, even when times have been difficult for her.
Thank you for her godly wisdom and her peaceful presence during tough times.
We pray for her continued dedication to being queen.
We pray that you will bless her in every part of her life.
We pray that you will give her peace.
Amen.
Song/music
The UK national anthem, available at: https://youtu.be/Xm7CZvvsC64 (2.04 minutes long)
‘Rise up and serve’, commissioned by HOPE Together and partners, available at: https://youtu.be/Q1-KnXJyIq8 (4.08 minutes long)
Extension activities
- Give each child a copy of the sheet that accompanies this assembly (The Queen's Legacy - Extension Activity). Ask them to design a crown for a king or queen. Maybe the crowns could be used to stage a pretend coronation in the classroom.
- Research the special activities that are taking place to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Information is available at: https://www.royal.uk/platinumjubilee
