Painting of the day: Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

"God Save the Queen"
Queen Victoria Arriving At St. Paul's Cathedral
on the Occasion of the Diamond Jubilee
Thanksgiving Service, 22nd June, 1897
Painted by John Charlton, 1899
The Royal Collection

In 1897, four years before her death, Queen Victoria celebrated her diamond jubilee. For the occasion, she made rare public appearances, most notably at the Thanksgiving Service in her honor at St. Paul's Cathedral.


Though she infrequently appeared in public after the death of Prince Albert, she seemed to enjoy the celebrations in her honor. In 1899, she commissioned this painting which recreates her ceremonial arrival at the cathedral. The painting by John Charlton shows the epic scale of the event.