Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee as a global spectacle and projection of late Victorian imperialism

Abstract

The Diamond Jubilee held in London in 1897 marked a historic moment in which Queen Victoria became the first British monarch who spent a full six decades on the throne. Examining the conditions in which the jubilee took place and the variety of reactions that it provoked provides insight into the tensions within the British Empire and the complexities of the political situation towards the end of the nineteenth century. This paper evokes the Diamond Jubilee through contemporary testimonies and historical reflections, observing it as an extravagant celebration as well as a resolute demonstration of British power and an affirmation of its imperial order. The mass appeal and emotional charge of the event made it an impeccable propaganda vehicle to spread an image of the empire at the apex of its glory. In the process, the colonial troops served as a confirmation of military omnipresence and the queen herself as a symbol of the God-given hierarchy.