It is indeed a big deal that Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee this year. This is the first time in British history that the Queen has been on the throne for 70 years, and a parade in her honor, a four-day Bank Holiday, and numerous other events are planned throughout the year. The official start, however, is February 6, the anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne, but the events are already proving controversial for the royal family.

The issue has to do with the tradition of the Queen awarding medals to those who have served the royal family during the Jubilee. According to Express UK, there are approximately 400,000 medals to be awarded this year. These include front-line medical professionals, members of the royal family who have served for more than a year, and recipients of the George and Victoria Crosses. All of these are great things!

What lit a red light for some audiences, however, was the reported decision to present the awards to members of the royal family. In particular, the question of whether the Queen will present medals to the disgraced Prince Andrew and to Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle, who are not working, has caused a stir. While the decision to give medals to Harry and Meghan seems fairly innocuous, especially since the Queen will reportedly pay for the medals for her own family rather than relying on British taxpayers, one royal expert has called the jubilee a "fiasco" because of one medal to Prince Andrew There seems to be a case to be made.

In an opinion piece on News.com.au (as noted by the Express), royal expert Daniela Elser questions the choice to give the medal to a lightning rod royal. Elser writes, "It is nothing short of tragic that Andrew, Harry, and Princess Meghan, despite all that has happened in the past two years, are given the same official thanks as front-line medical professionals."

The Jubilee will see more controversy as things progress. There are already concerns about what will happen at the Queen's parade, where it has become a tradition for the Queen to stand on the balcony and be surrounded by members of the Royal Family. Whether that group will include Andrew, or Harry and Meghan, remains to be seen.

With Prince Harry's fiery memoir due out later this year, and news that the civil suit against Prince Andrew will continue, 2022 is already shaping up to be a troublesome year for the royal family.