Earlier this year (6 February), Her Majesty the Queen became the first British Monarch to mark a Platinum Jubilee, following 70 years of service. Pride of Britain Hotels, the iconic brand which represents the very finest of British hospitality – and which, this year, celebrates its own 40th (Ruby) anniversary – invites everyone to mark this momentous Royal milestone with its guide to the most sparkling celebrations around the British Isles.

Pride of Britain Hotels’ expertly-curated collection of the finest independent hotels in the UK offers a plethora of Platinum Jubilee-inspired experiences from which to choose. Here is our guide to enjoying the long weekend, whether you wish to partake in the celebrations or simply to enjoy a serene staycation. Choose from indulgent afternoon teas and menus featuring the finest British seasonal produce, to showstopping parties in resplendent garden settings, or sparkling staycations in sumptuous spaces, plus elegant city breaks showcasing the heritage and history of the country’s most distinguished hotels.

Plan your Platinum Jubilee calendar with Pride of Britain Hotels’ guide, below, to this bonus summer break:

LONDON
The Queen’s private estates around the country will be joining in with special Jubilee-themed events. In London, Buckingham Palace will open the doors to the Royal Mews, where visitors can discover coaches, horses and carriages (including the Gold State Coach used by The Queen for her Coronation in 1952) at the beautiful working stables (19 May-2 October). There’s much to look forward to over the official Jubilee weekend in June, including The Queen’s Birthday Parade, Trooping of the Colour (2 June), a special Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign at St Paul’s Cathedral (3 June) and a Platinum Party at Buckingham Palace (4 June). Buckingham Palace will also reopen its State Rooms this summer (22 July-2 October).

Special exhibitions include the Mary Gillick Jubilee exhibition at the British Museum (2 June-31 July), highlighting the life and work of the little-known sculptor known for designing the engraving of Elizabeth II used on coinage in the United Kingdom and elsewhere from 1953 to 1970 and the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth (as well as its museums in Manchester and Cambridgeshire), which is hosting a special photographic exhibition to mark 70 years of the Queen’s reign (summer).

Visit the only hotel with a Royal Warrant from The Queen, in London’s Belgravia
Located in London’s Belgravia, The Goring has been welcoming royalty since it was opened in 1910 by Otto Goring. It is the only hotel in the world to have been granted a Royal Warrant, in 1990, for hospitality services by HM The Queen, and is still run by the Goring family today. The historic hotel is located close to Buckingham Palace and is a firm favourite of the Royal family, with the Queen Mother formerly a regular visitor (she enjoyed the hotel’s classic Eggs Drumbiko dish) and the Duchess of Cambridge famously staying there with her family before her wedding to Prince William. The Goring will commemorate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a sequence of celebrations, including a Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea (£60 pp, or £70 pp including a glass of champagne; available 19 April-2 October), a Coronation à la carte menu inspired by the dishes the hotel created for guests in residence for Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation in 1953 (dishes from £19 pp; available from March), a Jubilee Fizz gold leaf champagne cocktail (£28 pp; available now) and The Goring Jubilee Goring Stay, which includes the Platinum Jubilee Tea, Jubilee Fizz cocktail with regal canapés, a three-course Coronation-inspired dinner with Champagne and full English breakfast (costs from £868 per night*; two-night stays available from April to September).

Jubilee Afternoon Tea in Mayfair
The Athenaeum Hotel is the epitome of Art Deco elegance. Overlooking Green Park – the 40-acre Royal Park next to Buckingham Palace where a range of memorials, fountains and statues can be found – you’ll hear Royal Gun Salutes when ceremonial guns are fired to mark special royal occasions. Available 30 May to 5 June, the hotel’s Jubilee Afternoon Tea costs £45 and includes a selection of the Queen’s favourite sandwiches on bread from Royal Warrant Bakers ‘The Bread Factory’, including Burford Brown egg mayonnaise, chive and carraway, coronation chicken, and Severn & Wye smoked salmon with dill and cream cheese; handmade cakes and pastries including Battenburg, Victoria sponge, Royal chocolate cake and lavender choux; and scones with the Queen’s Royal Warrant choice of jam, Wilkins & Sons, along with clotted cream. Upgrade with a Royal Warrant tipple – from a choice of Pimm’s cup (£18), strawberry basiltini with Tanqueray Gin (£18) or Bollinger Special Cuvée (£25). An overnight stay costs from £331 per night*, including full English breakfast and use of the spa facilities.

THE SOUTH EAST
The Platinum Jubilee Celebration in Windsor (12 -15 May) will see over 500 horses and 1,000 performers create a 90-minute piece of arena theatre that will feature actors, artistes, musicians, international military displays, dancers and global equestrian performances. The show takes place in the private grounds of Windsor Castle, in same arena used by Royal Windsor Horse Show.

A Jubilee House Party in West Sussex
Park House in Bepton is marking the Platinum Jubilee with a full day of celebrations and an overnight stay on 5 June. The West Sussex bolthole is hosting a Big Jubilee Lunch followed by a Jubilee Garden Party in its grounds, complete with village show traditions, games, al-fresco afternoon tea and Champagne. The extraordinary Sunday Stay costs from £310 per night*, including the House’s Big Jubilee Lunch, Bepton’s Jubilee party, full English breakfast and use of the spa facilities.

Double Platinum celebrations in Essex
Talbooth House & Spa is also celebrating its Platinum anniversary this year. The bucolic country house has seven days of spectacular events planned to mark its seven decades, all with a dash of royal glamour. Events at the Platinum Festival (1 to 7 May) include a Champagne Tea Party (2 May; £70 pp), Wine & Food Safari (3 May; £75 pp), Music & Magic (4 May; £110 pp) and a Bordeaux Dinner (5 May; £200 pp). An overnight stay at Talbooth House & Spa costs from £210 per night*, including full English breakfast.

Royal steeds in Suffolk
Originally built as a Georgian hunting lodge for the Duke of Bedford, Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa sits in manicured gardens in Newmarket, the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred horse racing. The Queen’s love of horses – and horse racing – is well known, though less well known is the fact that her horses have won many prestigious races at Newmarket over the years. An overnight stay at Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa costs from £120 per night*, including full English breakfast and use of the health club facilities.

Hartwell House & Spa
Once home to Louis XVIII, the exiled King of France, and used as a training ground for British and American forces during the Second World War, Hartwell House, in Buckinghamshire, is steeped in history. The Grade I listed 17th century stately home is set in 90 acres of grounds, and the King’s Bedroom, situated at the top of the main Jacobean staircase, was occupied by Louis XVIII from 1809 – 1814. Guests can sleep in an antique four-poster bed and admire the same uninterrupted views that the King of France enjoyed over 200 years ago. An overnight stay at Hartwell House & Spa costs from £210 per night*, including full English breakfast and use of the spa facilities.

THE SOUTH WEST
On 5 June, a classic car run will travel 70 miles through Cornwall, from Bodmin to Penzance. Organised by the Rotary Club of Bodmin, this social classic car run will include 70 beautiful British vehicles – one for each year of The Queen’s reign. The earliest car will be a 1952 MG TD and the latest a 2022 electric Jaguar.

Stay like a sovereign in a stylish suite in Cornwall
With its dramatic location overlooking the sea, The Headland Hotel & Spa in Cornwall has hosted many royal guests over the years, from King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in the early 1900s to, more recently, the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. Available in May and June, the iconic Victorian hotel’s two-night Platinum Jubilee stay costs from £570 per night*, including accommodation in a Fistral suite, Ocean suite or Best suite, full English breakfast, a three-course dinner and a glass of Champagne, plus a two-course supper and a Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea.

Dine (and sleep) like a Queen in Bath
With Palladian architecture fit for a Queen, The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa is a honey-hued hideaway located on one of Britain’s most iconic Georgian crescents (also the setting for the hit regal Netflix drama, Bridgerton). Dine like royalty in neo-classical surroundings and enjoy a delightful Champagne afternoon tea and a decadent six-course tasting dinner, before sinking into a sumptuously comfortable bed for a night of sweet dreams. Jubilee Joy costs from £530 per night*, including accommodation in a Deluxe room, a Jubilee-themed cocktail, a six-course tasting dinner, Champagne afternoon tea and access to the spa facilities. Available 1 to 6 June; two-night stays only.

CENTRAL ENGLAND
In the UK’s long tradition of beacon lighting that celebrates royal jubilees, weddings and coronations, across the country on the 2 June, 70 beacons will be lit in each county to mark the monarch’s 70-year reign. Leicestershire will be lighting up its National Space Centre and County Hall, and communities across the county will be lighting their beacon braziers at night.

The Severn Valley Railway’s 34027 Taw Valley steam locomotive engine is temporarily being renamed Elizabeth II, and is being painted purple by the railway in honour of the occasion.

An elegant celebratory afternoon tea in Kilworth
Kilworth House Hotel & Theatre in South Leicestershire, a magnificent Victorian manor house hotel with its very own theatre set within an idyllic English country garden, is hosting a Platinum Jubilee Celebration Tea on 2 May, featuring an exquisite selection of sandwiches, pastries including lemon & Earl Grey macarons and raspberry fondant fancies, and scones with jam, lemon curd and cream, at £35pp (£12.50 for children under 12). An overnight stay at Kilworth House costs from £145 per night*.

THE COTSWOLDS

A royal escape in Gloucestershire
A grand 15th century manor house in glorious parkland, Ellenborough Park overlooks Cheltenham Race Course, where the pinnacle of racing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, is held each year. Cheltenham Racecourse has long been a favourite of the Royal Family, with the late Queen Mother a regular at the track and The Queen also attending. Ellenborough Park is known for its elegant afternoon teas served in sumptuous surroundings; in the splendour of the hotel’s Great Hall, indulge in a selection of finger sandwiches, scones with rich clotted cream and preserves, sweet treats and a choice of tea and coffee. Follow this by an overnight stay for the ultimate indulgent escape. Available throughout 2022, A Royal Escape costs from £270 per night*, including accommodation in a luxurious room, Afternoon Tea with a glass of Kir Royale and full English breakfast.

Royal garden design in Barnsley, near to Roman Cirencester
17th-century Barnsley House is a wisteria-clad, chic retreat in a picturesque honey-stone village in the heart of the Cotswolds. The house was once the family home of acclaimed garden designer Rosemary Verey, who advised Prince Charles on his garden at nearby Highgrove. Highlights of the bucolic garden include a potager, a knot garden, secluded pathways, statues by Simon Verity and borders of magnolias, tulips and white spirea. An overnight stay at Barnsley House costs from £224 per night*, including full English breakfast and use of the spa facilities.

SCOTLAND
This year, the grounds, gardens and Ballroom at Balmoral Castle, the Royal Family’s Scottish holiday home, will be open daily from 1 April – 2 August. The Ballroom exhibition will display the Queen’s outfits and celebrate all aspects of life on the much-loved estate, and there will also be a special Jubilee weekend afternoon tea available. Meanwhile in Edinburgh, the Palace of Holyrood will showcase a selection of outfits worn by Her Majesty on different occasions to celebrate the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

A shipshape celebration with royal history in Edinburgh
Berthed in the historic Port of Leith, Scotland’s only luxury floating hotel, Fingal, is marking The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with sister ship, The Royal Yacht Britannia, by offering a truly unique quayside celebration. Fingal is a former Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) vessel (Princess Anne had a cabin on board as patron of the NLB), and Britannia is The Queen’s former yacht, where royalty, dignitaries and celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra were entertained. The special experience (price TBC) includes a private quayside welcome via red carpet, a captivating guided tour of The Royal Yacht Britannia, Afternoon Tea with Champagne or dinner with waterside views and a Britannia Guidebook.

A royal tour of Edinburgh and a stay fit for a Queen
The historic Dunstane Houses, in the heart of Edinburgh’s West End, combine modern Scottish hospitality with classic Edinburgh architecture, Victorian period features, Orcadian soft furnishings, authentic tweeds, a huge range of whiskies, and even their very own botanical ‘DunGin’. Take advantage of their special ‘Royal Jubilee Package’ (from 1 May to 31 October, except August), which features a private chauffeur-driven royal tour of the city with a visit to the Queen’s residence, the Palace of Holyrood, Craigmillar Castle and the Royal Yacht Britannia for afternoon tea. The two-night stay in a Luxury King Double includes a Full Scottish Breakfast each morning and a first night glass of Champagne plus dinner in the Ba Bar, from £475 pp.

A Scottish Highland fling
Nestled within the spectacular landscape of the Cairngorms National Park, The Fife Arms is close to Balmoral Castle, the Royal Family’s Scottish holiday home. Owned by Manuela and Iwan Wirth, two of the world’s most influential art dealers, the imaginative hotel is brimming with art and antiques. The Braemar Gathering, or the Royal Highland Games – part of the Scottish Highland Games – takes place five-minutes’ walk from the hotel each September. Since 1848, the gathering has been attended by the reigning Monarch and members of the Royal Family. The hotel’s Victoriana Suites, where Queen Victoria once stayed, were inspired by the Royal Highland Games. An overnight stay at The Fife Arms costs from £250 per night*, including full English breakfast.

All aboard for a Scottish small-ship cruise
Set sail for the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The Hebridean Princess cruise ship is a firm favourite of HM The Queen, who has commissioned it twice for family holidays, including her milestone 80th birthday celebrations. The luxury small-ship cruise boat sails from Oban and carries just 50 guests and 37 staff. Seven-night, all-inclusive cruises start from £5,220, based on two sharing a cabin in low season.

Regal afternoon tea at a fairytale castle in Ayrshire
Glenapp Castle, a fairytale Scottish Baronial-style castle in 36 acres of gardens and woodlands overlooking the coast and nearby Ailsa Craig, the Isle of Arran and Holy Island, will host a Jubilee Afternoon Tea. With a regal theme of purple, gold and diamonds, the menu will feature pastries such as Tonka Bean Macaron Topped with a Royal Crown, and Blackcurrant Choux Bun with Hendricks Gin Jelly & Parma Violet Cremeaux, including a free glass of Champagne for anyone named Elizabeth (£35 pp or £50 pp including Champagne).

Nationwide initiatives including The Queen’s Green Canopy, which invites individuals to plant a tree for the Jubilee, and The Platinum Pudding Competition, a baking competition to find the perfect new royal pudding, will create a lasting reminder of The Queen’s Jubilee. Platinum Jubilee Beacons (2 June) will see over 1,500 beacons lit throughout the UK and Commonwealth to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Furthermore, The Big Jubilee Lunch (5 June) will see street parties up and down the country as communities are encouraged to get together to mark the occasion.