- Time Period: Post-WW2
- Institution: 6 February 2022
- Country: United Kingdom & Commonwealth, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (or Médaille du jubilé de platine de la reine Elizabeth II in French), also known as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, is a commemorative medal established to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession in 1952.
The medal was awarded in the United Kingdom to individuals working in public service, including the Armed Forces, emergency services, and prison services.
In Canada, six out of ten provinces issued their own medals, marking the first time a royal occasion has been commemorated with provincial medals. These medals were awarded to outstanding volunteers, members of the Canadian Armed Forces and emergency services, and others who made significant contributions to society, with particular emphasis in some provinces on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, reconciliation with First Nations and Inuit, and environmental protection.
The Queen’s Caribbean realms also established a medal program for the Platinum Jubilee, recognizing members of the emergency services who responded to hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as members of the defense and police forces.
The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal Design
In the United Kingdom, the medal, made of nickel silver, features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty on the obverse. The reverse displays the helm, crest, and mantling of the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, excluding Scotland.
The ribbon incorporates silver edges to represent the Silver Jubilee, blue from the Golden Jubilee medal’s ribbon, and red from the Diamond Jubilee ribbon. The Worcestershire Medal Service is responsible for manufacturing the medal.
In Canada, the designs of the medals are similar across all the provinces that produced one, differing only in the depiction of the shield from each province’s coat of arms and the province’s official flower. The wild rose represents Alberta, the prairie crocus for Manitoba, the purple violet for New Brunswick, the mayflower for Nova Scotia, the pink lady’s slipper for Prince Edward Island, and the western red lily for Saskatchewan.
All medals are silver in color, 32mm in diameter, and feature a ring suspension. The obverse shows the same crowned effigy of the Queen used for the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The reverse displays the Queen’s royal cypher with the dates of her reign—1952 and 2022—at the top, the provincial shield of arms in the center, flanked by renderings of the province’s official flower, and the motto “VIVAT REGINA” (“long live the Queen!”) at the base.
