Queen Elizabeth has a new Lord Chamberlain of the Household in Buckingham Palace, a key and most senior role among the royal staff and he is the former director general of the MI5, Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere.
Parker will take over for William Peel, the 3rd Earl Pearl, who will retire from as the Lord Chamberlain on March 31. Per Daily Express, the job of the Lord Chamberlain is to oversee the communications of all the departments responsible for supporting the Queen with the House of Lords.
Royal experts believe that Parker is the best man to take over Peel's role as the "ultimate insider." Parker's position is non-executive and part-time only but it is a highly significant one since the office is in charge of state visits, garden parties and the Parliament's State Opening.
The former MI5 boss was with the agency for almost four decades and left his post as the director general in 2020. He is also recognized as the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Crown.
His office will also organize the ceremonial activities at Buckingham Palace, including the upcoming Platinum Jubilee or the Queen's 70th year on the throne. The Platinum Jubilee is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone for the British monarch, which will be commemorated at the beginning of the summer season in 2022.
The Queen will technically mark her 70th year on the throne in February 2022 but the commemorations have been moved to a four-day event from June 2 to June 5 to kick-off the summer season in the U.K.
The government announced the bank holiday as early as November 2020, informing the British people that the Platinum Jubilee will be a "mix the best of British ceremonial splendor and pageantry." The announcement also downplayed rumors that Queen Elizabeth will be abdicating her role when she turns 95 years old in April 2021 to let Prince Charles finally sit on the throne.
In May 2021, the royal family and Prime Minister Boris Johnson will launch The Queen's Green Canopy encouraging the people of the United Kingdom to plant a tree for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. Cool Earth is also behind the initiative and will reveal more details on how the public can participate in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth quietly commemorated her 69th year as the British monarch this February. Her Majesty has been isolating with her husband, Prince Philip, in Windsor Castle for much of this pandemic.
