At the invitation of the Government of the United Kingdom, troops from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) led by Major Angella John Jovani, took part in the Platinum Jubilee pageant held in London as part of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Her Majesty, the Queen, became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service having ascended to the throne on 6 February 1952 when she was 25 years old.
The pageant was organised as a part of a series of celebrations that took place from 02–05 June in honour of the Queen.
The Pageant was the final event of the four-day celebrations for Her Majesty the Queen’s Jubilee.
There have been Jubilee pageants in London since the 19th Century when Queen Victoria’s Jubilees which set the tone for all those which have been marked subsequently.
Such pageants are largely ceremonial in nature, with troops representing the governments and peoples of nations in every part of the Commonwealth.
The vision of such pageants is to be carried forward in fresh and ever more inclusive ways, with servicemen and women joining together in goodwill and friendship with representatives from many other walks of life.
The UPDF team accompanied by the Uganda’s Defence Advisor to UK, Brig Gen James Kaija, later paid a courtesy call at Uganda Mission London where they were commended by the Ag. High Commissioner, Amb John Leonard Mugerwa and staff for representing the country and were briefed about the Mission’s mandate.