A worsening cost-of-living crisis, a messy political scandal and the threat of further repercussions from the war in Ukraine form an unlikely backdrop for a celebration of national stability.

As the UK marks Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, the clouds are a reminder that the 96-year-old monarch won’t be around forever, just as the country faces an uncertain future. Beyond the most immediate challenges, the unresolved status of Northern Ireland after Brexit and Scotland’s split over independence raise questions about whether the kingdom will even stay united in the coming decades.

The pomp of royal patronage or public scrutiny of her family dramas more often capture attention around the world, but over 70 years the queen’s private weekly meetings with the prime minister have arguably been just as important in providing a constant thread running through British public life...