The Queen and Mary Berry are teaming up to work together on something historic

The Queen and Mary Berry will both be involved in a historic competition in what is already a very exciting year for the long-reigning monarch.

• Her Majesty is preparing to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee this year and one particularly exciting initiative to mark this occasion has been announced.
• Dame Mary Berry will be part of the judging panel on a new pudding competition - and the Queen will get to enjoy the winning creation too.
• This royal news comes as the Queen’s new extreme security measures are revealed following the Christmas Day crossbow intruder.

The Queen and Mary Berry, who was recently given the ultimate honour by Prince Charles and made a Dame, are set to team up for a very special occasion - in a manner of speaking, anyway! Her Majesty will celebrate her 70th year on the throne with a variety of Platinum Jubilee events later this year. The monarch, who is head of The Firm, will be the first British monarch to mark a Platinum Jubilee and a competition will see the date commemorated with a delicious dessert. 

And no-one knows puddings quite like Dame Mary, who delighted fans during as a judge on The Great British Bake Off for seven series. Now she's taking on a royal project that will see one baker create a lasting reminder of the Queen's jubilee that will be eaten by the monarch herself.

The Royal Family Twitter account has shared many new exciting details about what events to expect over the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday. This includes a nationwide Fortnum & Mason Platinum Pudding Competition to discover a new pudding in honour of Her Majesty.

As disclosed on the official competition page, bakers up and down the country are being invited to invent a Platinum Pudding for what is the first ever Platinum Jubilee. The winner will be at the “centre” of the celebrations and their creation will be an important part of the jubilee.

Launched on January 10th, prospective winners have until February 4th to submit their entry and Fortnum & Mason have already thanked the Royal Household as well as The Big Jubilee Lunch and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport for their assistance in establishing the Platinum Pudding Competition. 

Five shortlisted finalists' entries will be put to ultimate the test by experienced judges Dame Mary Berry, chef Monica Galetti and Buckingham Palace Head Chef Mark Flanagan. Mary is the panel chair and she and her fellow judges have no easy task ahead of them with this historic project. The pressure is well and truly on as the winner will go on to be served up to the Queen! 

Meanwhile, as the person the competition is honouring, it's wonderful to think that she and Mary Berry are linked in this small way. Being involved in selecting the right pudding for the Queen is a huge honour and both British icons will get to enjoy the same sumptuous dessert by the end of the competition. 

We can't wait to hear more about the final Platinum Pudding created for Her Majesty - and just why Mary and her fellow judges chose it!