Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th Birthday : Schools Join Windsor Castle Broadcast and Tea Party
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY: SCHOOLS JOIN WINDSOR CASTLE BROADCAST AND TEA PARTY
‘Happy Birthday, Your Majesty’ streamed live from Windsor Castle into classrooms around the world on Friday
Over 800,000 students from schools around the world watched a special live broadcast on Friday and thousands of schools hosted tea parties to celebrate the official 90th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen.
Discovery Education was given exclusive access to the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle, where a marquee hosted a national schools’ tea party. 100 lucky children from UK primary schools attended, in a unique celebration of the life of Britain’s longest reigning monarch.
Presented by Diane Louise Jordan and Joe Crowley, ‘Happy Birthday,
Your Majesty’ allowed pupils to step inside the historic royal residence — the family home of British kings and queens for nearly 1000 years.
Aimed at primary school pupils, the engaging interactive broadcast explored the nine decades of The Queen’s life, shining a light on her role in the British constitution. Pupils watching witnessed a live link-up between schools in India, Canada and the UK, and learned about Her Majesty’s special relationship with Commonwealth countries the world over.
Featuring a glimpse inside Windsor Castle’s famous State Apartments, and a performance by the Choristers of St George’s Chapel, the landmark programme allowed children everywhere to play their own part in the birthday celebrations and enabled schools to mark the historic event in a fun way with their own tea parties.
One of the schools attending was Claycots School, Slough. Associate Head Teacher Rebecca Whitlock said:
“’It is not everyday you are offered the opportunity to have a tea party at Windsor Castle! We feel privileged to be given the chance to celebrate The Queen’s birthday in such a unique way. Our pupils were very excited to be part of the broadcast and I’m sure the memories will stay with them for a very long time.”
Discovery Education wanted to inspire schools everywhere to host their own tea parties, and offered free resources to make it easy for them to do so. Fantastic tea party packs were given to teachers registering to watch ‘Happy Birthday, Your Majesty’, enabling schools around the world to take part in this historic, one-time event.
Lewis Bronze, MBE, Founder and Director of Content at Discovery Education said:
“We were delighted to have been given special access to Windsor Castle and to enable so many schools to celebrate with us. Pupils all over the world were able to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday, both by taking part in our celebration and by using our digital resources to host a tea party of their own.”
Jemima Rellie, Director of Content and Audiences, Royal Collection Trust, said:
“Her Majesty The Queen has been a role model for many generations and continues to inspire children today. All children love birthday parties, and tens of thousands visit Windsor Castle each year to find out about The Queen. We are thrilled to celebrate The Queen’s birthday with schools at Her Majesty’s home and indeed the home of royal history for nearly 1,000 years.”
The schools attending the tea party at Windsor were: Claycots School, Slough, Montem Academy, Slough, St George’s School, Windsor, Claires Court School, Maidenhead and Beatrix Potter School, Wandsworth.
An on-demand version of the 30 minute broadcast will be available shortly on the Discovery Education website: www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/hmq90
