The timings for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend have been unveiled with the celebrations just over a week away.
In mere days, the nation will gather to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee during an extended four-day Bank Holiday weekend which will see a service of thanksgiving held, Trooping the Colour and a Jubilee pageant staged.
The monarch is expected to limit her appearances at the Platinum Jubilee to the Trooping the Colour – the parade and flypast that kicks off the celebrations on Thursday June 2 – and a service of celebration at St Paul’s Cathedral the next day, which will be attended by the entire Royal Family including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have been banned from the Buckingham Palace balcony 24 hours earlier. But her presence is unlikely to be confirmed until the day itself.
And now Buckingham Palace have unveiled the run-down of how the weekend will be organised hour-by-hour.
Here is the rundown of what will happen as the nation pays tribute to the Queen’s 70 years as sovereign…
The timings for the Platinum Jubilee weekend have been unveiled with the celebrations just over a week away
The monarch is expected to limit her appearances at the Platinum Jubilee to the Trooping the Colour – the parade and flypast that kicks off the celebrations on Thursday June 2 – and a service of celebration at St Paul’s Cathedral the next day (pictured, Trooping the Colour in 2019)
The Queen and her family are expected to head to the racecourse on Derby Day, where the monarch is due to be greeted with a guard of honour made of up to 40 of her past and present jockeys
THURSDAY JUNE 2
10am – The Queen’s Birthday Parade – Trooping the Colour – begins.
10.30am – Members of the royal family leave Buckingham Palace for the parade ground.
The military spectacle will be followed by a balcony appearance by the Queen, it is hoped, plus key royals including the Cambridge children, to watch a special flypast.
9.25pm – Members of the royal family arrive to watch the lighting of the principal beacon at the palace – a 21-metre tall Tree of Trees sculpture.
More than 3,000 beacons are being lit across the UK and the Commonwealth.
More than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will come together in the traditional Parade to mark The Queen’s official birthday, usually held on the second Saturday in June.
Beginning at Buckingham Palace, the procession will move down The Mall to Horse Guards’ Parade, joined by members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages.
Trooping the Colour will close with the traditional RAF fly-past, watched by the Queen and the Royal Family from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Crucially the balcony appearance is limited to working members of her family, with the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex omitted from the royal line up.
Joining the Queen on the balcony for Trooping will be the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
Also set to appear for the historic occasion will be Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and the Wessexes’ children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
The head of state has made an exception for Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim, who is not a working royal, and her two youngest grandchildren Lady Louise and James, and her Cambridge great-grandchildren George, Charlotte and Louis.
The Palace spokesman added: ‘In addition the Cambridge and Wessex children are also expected to appear as is Sir Tim Laurence, who the Queen is happy to attend as a frequent attendee and support for the Princess Royal on official engagements.’
The symbolic move is likely to be interpreted as a snub to Harry and Meghan, who quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago, and to Andrew, who was cast out of the institution over his civil sexual assault case.
More than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will come together in the traditional Parade to mark The Queen’s official birthday, usually held on the second Saturday in June
Trooping the Colour will close with the traditional RAF fly-past, watched by the Queen and the Royal Family from the Buckingham Palace balcony. Above: The Queen and the Royal family on the balcony in 2017
Andrew stepped down from public duties in 2019 and just weeks ago paid millions out of court to settle a civil sexual assault case.
He was stripped of his honorary military titles and forced to no longer use his HRH style, but he played a key role in March when he escorted his mother to the Duke of Edinburgh’s thanksgiving service.
Harry and Meghan quit as senior working royals amid the Megxit saga, but there was speculation they might return to the UK to attend the Jubilee celebrations.
Andrew and the Sussexes could still make an appearance during other parts of the weekend.
A Palace source said: ‘Other family members will be invited to events. We’ve always made that clear and they are likely to be public events.’
FRIDAY 3 JUNE
11am – The royal family begin to arrive at the service of thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral.
12.25pm – Members of the royal family afterwards attend a Guildhall reception hosted by the Lord Mayor.
A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. The service will include readings from the Bible, along with prayers and hymns that will be sung by both the choir and congregation.
During the service, the church’s bell, named Great Paul, will be rung. It was made in 1882 but fell silent in the 1970s due to a broken mechanism.
It was restored in 2021 and has been rung on eight occasions since then. However, this is the first royal occasion for which it has been rung.
After the service, a reception will be held at the Guildhall .
A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. The service will include readings from the Bible, along with prayers and hymns that will be sung by both the choir and congregation. Above: The Queen and the Royal Family are seen at St Paul’s Cathedral during the service of Thanksgiving to mark the Golden Jubilee in 2022
he Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh pictured during the Thanksgiving service in St. Paul’s Cathedral, held as part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977
SATURDAY 4 JUNE
5.30pm – The Epsom Derby race takes place. The Queen and her family are expected to head to the racecourse on Derby Day, where the monarch is due to be greeted with a guard of honour made of up to 40 of her past and present jockeys.
7.40pm – Members of the royal family arrive at the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert.
8pm-10.30pm – The open-air concert in front of the palace, featuring stars including Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran and Diana Ross, is broadcast live on BBC One.
Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs.
The Queen is an avid racegoer and horse owner and has attended nearly all of the previous derbies during her 70 years on the throne.
Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs. Above: Her Majesty at the Derby in 2017
The Queen is an avid racegoer and horse owner and has attended nearly all of the previous derbies during her 70 years on the throne
The Queen is seen with the Queen Mother at the Epsom Derby in 1976. Her Majesty is a huge racing fan and owns race horses
Queen Elizabeth II in the Royal Box at Epsom in 1963. With her to see the Derby were Prince Philip, the Queen Mother and the Princess Royal
The Queen and Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who died in 1974, are seen in the Royal Box at the Derby, Epsom Downs in 1953
Platinum Party at the Palace
The BBC will stage and broadcast a special live concert from Buckingham Palace that will bring together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars to celebrate the most significant and joyous moments from The Queen’s seven-decade reign.
Members of the public will be invited to apply to attend this special event and details of the ballot for UK residents to secure audience tickets will be released in due course.
The BBC will stage and broadcast a special live concert from Buckingham Palace that will bring together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars to celebrate the most significant and joyous moments from The Queen’s seven-decade reign. Above: The concert that was held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations
Artist impression of the stage outside Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Party at the Palace which will be shown live on BBC One as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration
An artist’s impression shows how the stage at the Platinum Party will look. A host of headline acts will perform at the event
Construction work is carried out at Buckingham Palace ahead of the Platinum Jubilee of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in London
Workers are seen on scaffolding as preparation for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend continues
SUNDAY 5 JUNE
Street parties and Big Jubilee Lunches are staged across the country,
2.30pm-5pm – The Jubilee Pageant takes place in central London, with a 3km carnival procession featuring a cast of thousands including puppets and celebrities and tributes to the seven decades of the Queen’s reign. It will move down The Mall and past the palace.
The finale will feature Ed Sheeran performing, and the singing of the national anthem in front of the Queen’s official residence.
The Big Jubilee Lunch
Every year since the idea began in 2009 The Big Lunch has encouraged communities to celebrate their connections and get to know each other a little bit better, coming together in a spirit of fun and friendship.
In 2022 The Big Lunch will bring the Jubilee celebrations into the heart of every community.
People are invited to share friendship, food and fun with neighbours as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
A Big Jubilee Lunch can be big or small – street party or picnic, tea and cake or a garden barbeque. The Big Lunch provides tips and ideas for hosting an event.
Every year since the idea began in 2009 The Big Lunch has encouraged communities to celebrate their connections and get to know each other a little bit better, coming together in a spirit of fun and friendship. Above: A street party to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977
A street party in Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire, during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. People are being invited to share friendship, food and fun with neighbours as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations
Children are seen enjoying a lunch to celebrate the Queen’s Coronation in a street in Mortlake, south-west London
Londoners are seen celebrating the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. Millions of Britons turned out to honour the new monarch
Residents of Morpeth Street in London’s East End watching one of the entertainments put on to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant
A pageant featuring over 5,000 people from across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth will take place against the backdrop of Buckingham Palace and the surrounding streets.
It will combine street arts, theatre, music, circus, carnival and costume and celebrate the service of Her Majesty’s reign, as well as honouring the collective service of people and communities across the country.
The bells of Westmiminster Abbey will chime to mark the start of the pageant, as they did on the day of the Queen’s Coronation.
As they do so, the Mounted Band of the Queen’s Household Cavalry will lead the Gold State Coach along a crowd-thronged route back to Buckingham Palace.
Made of giltwood, a thin layer of gold leaf over wood, it is seven metres long, weighs four tonnes and is 12 feet tall, and because of its weight and suspension is only ever used at a walking pace
A general view of the Gold State Coach, at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace, London, Friday May 6, 2022
Made of giltwood, a thin layer of gold leaf over wood, the Queen’s coach is seven metres long, weighs four tonnes and is 12 feet tall, and because of its weight and suspension is only ever used at a walking pace.
Drawn by eight Windsor Grey horses, the grand carriage, led by the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry, will begin the spectacular carnival Pageant finale on Sunday June 5 as the procession makes it way along the near two-mile route.
More than 10,000 people will be involved, including the military and more than 6,000 volunteers, performers, key workers and 2,500 members of the public.
Well-known celebrities from music, film, sport and the arts will also take part in the Pageant, whilst the Armed Forces will take a key role.
Overall, around 1,800 servicemen and women will be there to represent the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force.
Adrian Evans, Pageant Master said: ‘Everywhere you look, in the golden sculptures and painted panels, in the uniforms of the postillions, grooms, footmen, attendants and mounted guards, there is rich tradition and history.
‘It will be a unique spectacle that we are privileged to be opening the Pageant with it will set the tone for the very many spectacular sights to come.’
For her Coronation, the Queen used the coach to travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, and to return
The coach, the third oldest surviving coach in the UK, only ever carries the sovereign, although it has previously taken part in pageants with no passengers.
For her Coronation, the Queen used the coach to travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, and to return.
She was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, in the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet.
Royal Mews staff strapped a hot water bottle under the seat, as the day was unseasonably cold and wet.
The return route from the Abbey was extended, allowing as many people as possible to see the Queen, now wearing the Imperial State Crown.
The monarch left the Abbey carrying the orb and sceptre, and inside the coach special supports had been created for them.
The procession took 45 minutes to pass any one given point.
At the Jubilees of 1977 and 2002, the Queen and Philip travelled in the coach to a Service of National Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral.
The elaborate coach features, above each wheel, a massive triton figure in gilded walnut wood to represent the spreading of the news of good government, and the main body is gilded wood, carved to represent palm trees framing the doors and windows
An incredible sculpture is seen on the 18th century carriage in an image that was taken at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace
The Queen talks to people who had arrived to watch the pageant during the Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977
The Queen’s State Coach is seen leaving Admiralty Arch and heading for St Paul’s Cathedral for the Silver Jubilee Thanksgiving service
The elaborate coach features, above each wheel, a massive triton figure in gilded walnut wood to represent the spreading of the news of good government, and the main body is gilded wood, carved to represent palm trees framing the doors and windows.
Paintings include Roman gods and goddesses representing human skill and endeavour feature.
These include the Arts, Sciences, Virtue, Security, and the harvest goddess Ceres setting light to weapons in a sign of peace and prosperity overcoming war.
The front panel includes a figure of Britannia sitting on the banks of the river Thames, with the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral just visible in the city.
On the roof is a giltwood carving of the British Imperial crown being held by three putti representing England, Scotland and Ireland.
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