Milton Keynes in England, Dunfermline in Scotland, Bangor in Northern Ireland and Wrexham in Wales all get the title.
It is a first for places in an Overseas Territory – Stanley, in the Falklands – and a crown dependency – Douglas, in the Isle of Man – to win city status.
Colchester and Doncaster complete the list getting the royal honour. Applicants had to show their cultural heritage and royal links.
The Platinum Jubilee civic honours competition also required places to show how their local identity and communities meant they deserved to be granted city status.
The new cities can expect a boost to local communities and open up new opportunities for people who live there, the Cabinet Office said.
The last competition to win civic honours ran a decade ago to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. For the first time this year, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories were allowed to apply.
The announcement of the latest civic honours takes the number of official cities in mainland UK to 76, with 55 in England, eight in Scotland, seven in Wales and six in Northern Ireland.
Tags: England Tourism, queen Elizabeth
