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What a Legacy!

Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

by Alexandra Palmer

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

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 (What a 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

Assembly

  1. Show Slide 1.

    Explain that the photograph on the left was taken for the Queen’s coronation. 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.

    The picture on the right is a more recent picture of the Queen.

    Remind the students that this year, we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks 70 years since she became queen. To commemorate the occasion, there is an extended bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June.

  2. Show Slide 2.

    Explain that you are going to display four facts about the Queen and you want the students to decide whether the facts are true or false. Ask them to vote for their answer by putting their thumbs up or down.

  3. Show Slides 3-6.

    Note: for each slide, click to reveal the answer and then move to the next slide.

  4. Show Slide 7.

    Ask the students, ‘What does the word “legacy” mean?’

    If appropriate, encourage the students to discuss their answer with the person sitting next to them.

    Listen to a range of responses.

  5. Show Slide 8.

    Explain that a legacy is something that is passed on to the next generation.

  6. Show Slide 9.

    This slide shows the next three people in line to replace the Queen. Prince Charles, the Queen’s first son, will be our next king. When he dies, his first son, Prince William, will replace him. Then, Prince George, who is Prince William’s first son, will replace his father.

  7. Show Slide 10.

    Explain that people often describe the Queen using words such as steadfast, constant and dutiful. These three words sum up the Queen’s legacy.

    - 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.

    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.

    - 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 10 to reveal the question.

Ask the students, ‘How has the Queen managed to be steadfast, constant and dutiful for 70 years?’

Listen to a range of responses or allow discussion in groups.

The answer is her Christian faith.

Show the YouTube video ‘Queen Elizabeth II – Defender of the Faith’ (2.01 minutes long). 

Show Slide 11.

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.

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)

Publication date: June 2022   (Vol.24 No.6)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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