The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks Her Majesty’s 70th year on the throne, enters its second day today with a special thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
A series of major events has been scheduled for the four-day extravaganza, which began on Thursday with Trooping the Colour and a jaw-dropping 71-aircraft Flypast, and which will end on Sunday with a special Pageant celebrating the life of the nation’s longest-reigning monarch.
Outdoor parties will also take place on Sunday as part of the Big Jubilee Lunch, while there will be a televised concert on the BBC from Buckingham Palace the day before.
The Queen delighted crowds on Thursday with an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where she is expected to appear again after the Pageant parade finale on Sunday.
However she will not attend the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, after experiencing some ‘discomfort’ during the first day of celebrations.
Her wider family are expected to attend, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, while Prince Andrew will remain at home after testing positive for Covid.
The Queen, 96, is also set to spend some personal time with the Sussexes, who are bringing their children Archie and Lilibet over from the US – and could meet Lili for the first time as she celebrates her first birthday on Saturday.
On Sunday, thousands of people will gather across the country as more than 85,000 Big Jubilee Lunches and street parties are staged in celebration of the Queen’s record-breaking reign.
Royal Family members will also visit every corner of the UK over the weekend for official engagements – with William and Kate going to Wales; Edward and Sophie travelling to Northern Ireland; and Anne to Scotland.
Here, MailOnline looks at the programme of events over the four-day bank holiday weekend:
Drew, four, from Norwich, waves her Union flag on The Mall near Buckingham Palace, during a family day trip ahead of the Platinum Jubilee
Crowds line The Mall, in central London, to watch the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, ahead, where well-wishers are already camping out for the best spots to view the Platinum Jubilee celebrations
Members of the Household Cavalry ride along The Mall, in London, ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with events starting from today
Crowds line The Mall, in central London, to watch the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, ahead, where well-wishers are already camping out for the best spots to view the Platinum Jubilee celebrations
Participants were greeted by dark clouds and rain during the full rehearsal of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant that will take place on June 5
A man sells merchandise outside a shop near Windsor Castle ahead of celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee this weekend
Soldiers on parade during The Colonel’s Review at Horse Guards Parade on May 28, 2022 in London
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Colonel of the Irish Guards leads The Colonel’s Review at Horse Guards Parade ahead of Trooping the Colour on Thursday
The Duke of Cambridge, Colonel of the Irish Guards, on The Mall during the Colonel’s Review in London last Saturday
English Heritage projects images of Her Majesty the Queen – one from each decade of her reign – onto Stonehenge’s majestic stones to mark the historic occasion of Her Royal Highness becoming the first British monarch to commemorate a Platinum Jubilee
TODAY
Service of Thanksgiving (from 11am)
A traditional service of thanksgiving will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London from 11am on Friday.
There will be no ceremonial journey to the cathedral.
Wider members of the family are expected to be present including Harry and Meghan, and the service will be followed by a Guildhall reception for members of the royal family.
Prince Andrew will not be attending after testing positive for Covid.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has also tested positive for Covid-19 and will too miss the service. The Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, will give the sermon instead.
Justin Welby was diagnosed with mild pneumonia last Thursday and was continuing to work, but after developing symptoms over the weekend he tested for coronavirus.
Royal family members are scheduled to arrive at the foot of the West Steps at 10.55am.
At 11.25am, the congregation will be ordered to stand for the procession of religious leaders, the choirs, and then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales.
The royals in attendance will take their seats under the Dome before the ceremony gets underway.
There will be several hymns sung, along with readings from the Old Testament.
The ceremony will end with the singing of the national anthem.
A full dress rehearsal this morning for the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral which will take place on Friday
Practice marches this morning ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral which takes place this Friday
Participants set to feature in the Service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral take part in a full dress rehearsal outside the London landmark earlier this week
SATURDAY
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Cardiff Castle to meet performers and crew involved in the special Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert taking place in the castle grounds later that afternoon, Buckingham Palace has announced.
During their visit, William and Kate will view rehearsals and meet some of the acts taking part in the celebrations, including Bonnie Tyler and Owain Wynn Evans.
Hosted by Aled Jones and Shan Cothi, the concert at Cardiff Castle will feature live performances from some of Wales’ best-known singers and entertainers, alongside choirs, bands and orchestras.
During the extended bank holiday weekend, the Earl and Countess of Wessex will carry out two engagements in Northern Ireland while the Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will visit Edinburgh.
Epsom Derby (from 4pm)
The Queen is no longer planning to attend the Epsom Derby during her Platinum Jubilee weekend.
The 96-year-old monarch is said to want to pace herself during her milestone celebrations, with her daughter the Princess Royal representing her at the racecourse instead, The Sunday Times reported.
The Derby on Saturday June 4 was to be a personal highlight for the Queen during the four days of Jubilee festivities.
The head of state, a passionate horse owner and breeder, was due to be greeted on the course with a special guard of honour including up to 40 of her past and present jockeys.
But the newspaper revealed the monarch is now ‘increasingly unlikely’ to head to Epsom. However the Queen will still have a runner – Just Fine, in the penultimate race of the afternoon.
People stand on The Mall looking towards Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial statue as the road is lined with Union Jacks
A message for Queen Elizabeth II is seen on a digital display as horses are walked through Piccadilly Circus in London today
A pedestrian passes a shop window adorned with Union flag-themed bunting, and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, in Colchester, eastern England
Hype Hair salon in Bermondsey, south east London, puts up Union Jack flags and a Platinum Jubilee flag of the Queen with red, white and blue balloons and bunting
A banner and face masks of members of the royal family are displayed in the window of the Blue Anchor pub in Hammersmith, London, to celebrate the forthcoming Platinum Jubilee of the Queen this weekend
The Floral Mini, King’s Road Chelsea In Bloom floral displays in Chelsea for the Platinum Jubilee in London
Alan and Kelly Wakeling pose today at their market stall ALK Fruit and Veg on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, West London
Legoland modeller Paula Young poses for a photograph while completing a model of a scene at Buckingham Palace, at Legoland in Windsor
Lilibet’s birthday
Saturday is also the first birthday of Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet, amid speculation the youngster could spend the day with her namesake great-grandmother.
The Sussexes are flying over from the US with Lili, who has never met the Queen in person before, and her older brother Archie.
It could be the first time Harry and Meghan have been seen alongside the Windsor clan since Megxit and since they accused an unnamed senior royal of racism during their controversial Oprah Winfrey interview.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are flying over from the US with Lilibet and her brother Archie (pictured last December)
Party At The Palace (from 7.30pm)
In the evening, the BBC’s Party at the Palace – set on three stages in front of Buckingham Palace – will entertain a live crowd of 22,000 people and a television audience of millions.
The line-up includes Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers, Andrea Bocelli, Duran Duran, Bond composer Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow and George Ezra.
The show will also feature appearances from stars including Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, Stephen Fry and Dame Julie Andrews.
Charles and William are preparing to deliver public tributes at the concert to the Queen, who will be watching on television from Windsor.
An artist’s impression released earlier this month of the stage outside Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Party at the Palace
SUNDAY
Big Jubilee Lunch
Millions of people are expected to sit down with their neighbours at street parties, picnics and barbecues, with more than 200,000 Big Jubilee Lunches being held across the UK on the Sunday afternoon,
Camilla, patron of the Big Lunch, will join Charles at a flagship feast at The Oval cricket ground in south London, while the Earl and Countess of Wessex will meet people creating the ‘Long Table’ down on The Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle.
The celebration also coincides with this year’s Thank You Day – originally set up to pay tribute to those who helped people through the pandemic.
Celebrities Ross Kemp, Gareth Southgate, Prue Leith and Ellie Simmonds have urged people to throw the biggest thank you party for the Queen.
A Jubilee street party on June 3, 2012 on the bridge that connects Goring in Oxfordshire and Streatley in Berkshire
The Blue Anchor pub in Hammersmith put a 3D silicone mask of the Queen wearing a golden crown, adorned with pearls, silver jewelled earrings and Union Jack glasses behind the bar for this weekend’s festivities
A hair removal clinic in London puts special Platinum Jubilee bunting across their sandwich board, as well as featuring a cartoon Corgi drawn on the glass of their storefront, which is pictured wearing a Union Jack party hat
Union Jack bunting and dedicated Platinum Jubilee flags are displayed in a shopping area to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne, with events being thrown from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June
The Platinum Pudding, Scotch eggs and fruit platters will feature on a six-metre felt creation by artist Lucy Sparrow which is to be viewed by Charles and Camilla at The Oval. It will be given pride of place in the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace later this year.
Members of the local community, 70 volunteers who have been recognised as Platinum Champions through the Royal Voluntary Service’s Platinum Champions Awards, celebrity ambassadors and various charity representatives will be among the guests at the cricket ground.
The royal couple will also present the Platinum Champions with certificates and pins, before cutting a Big Jubilee Lunch cake.
More than 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches are being planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond – from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan and South Africa to Switzerland.
Revelers on the Mall in London on June 5, 2012 during the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration for the Queen that year
Union Jack flags cover the Kirby Estate in Bermondsey, south east London, for the Jubilee, who are known for adorning the housing area with flags on national events. They had plenty of England flags in celebration of the England football team getting to the finals of the Euros last year
Considered to be the ‘most patriotic estate in England’, Kirby Estate in Bermondsey adorns the railings of the flats with Union Jack flags ahead of the Jubilee weekend
Edward and Sophie will join Berkshire residents for their special lunch on the Long Walk, not far from Windsor Castle.
The Long Walk is being reinvented to create ‘the Long Table’ in celebration of the jubilee. This royal pair are also set to meet groups of street performers.
Charles and Camilla will also celebrate with the residents of Albert Square in an EastEnders special. They will be seen attending a Big Lunch in a June 2 episode of the BBC soap.
The Big Lunch is an annual event aimed at celebrating community connections.
Jubilee Pageant (from 2.30pm)
The finale on June 5 is the Jubilee Pageant through the streets of London.
Set to be watched by up to a billion people across the globe, more than 10,000 people have been involved in staging the £15million procession.
Puppet corgis, a giant 3D wire bust of the Queen and the Gold State Coach are just some of the sights set to feature in the 1.8-mile (3km) parade.
Union flags hang above as horses are walked along Regent Street in London today ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations
Union flags hang above as horses are walked along Regent Street in London today ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations
Stars including Idris Elba, Sir Cliff Richard, Courtney Love and Slade’s Noddy Holder will take to open-top buses in a through-the-ages tribute to the culture and music of the 70 years of the Queen’s reign.
A peloton of 300 cyclists, riding vintage bikes from across the seven decades of her reign, is to travel down The Mall led by Sir Chris Hoy and cycling golden couple Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny.
Olympic champions Sir Chris, Dame Laura and Sir Jason will be among six ‘hero cyclists’ who race towards Buckingham Palace ready to complete a 360-degree circuit of the Queen Victoria Memorial on Sunday.
Some 205 vehicles will appear as part of the parade, including 11 Morris Minors, seven Land Rovers, 20 vintage Minis including one in the shape of an Outspan Orange and seven original James Bond vehicles.
Some 205 vehicles will appear as part of the parade, including 11 Morris Minors, seven Land Rovers, 20 vintage Minis including one in the shape of an Outspan Orange and seven original James Bond vehicles. Members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines rehearse for their role in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in Fareham
Ice cream vans, JCBs, Del-Boy’s Only Fools And Horses three-wheeled Reliant Regal Supervan III, 15 Sinclair C5s, and seven open-top double-decker buses decorated in images of the decade they represent will also head down The Mall and past the palace. Pictured: Royal Navy and the Royal Marine Corps of Drums personnel during a rehearsal for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at HMS Collingwood, in Fareham
Royal Marines Commando personnel during a rehearsal for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at HMS Collingwood, in Fareham
Royal Navy personnel during a rehearsal for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at HMS Collingwood
Royal Navy and the Royal Marine Corps of Drums personnel during a rehearsal for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at HMS Collingwood, in Fareham
Royal Navy personnel pictured at HMS Colingwood on Monday rehearsing for the Jubilee Pageant on Sunday. They will be joined with a peloton of 300 cyclists, riding vintage bikes form across the seven decades of Her Majesty’s reign, is to travel down The Mall led by Chris Hoy and cycling golden couple Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny
Royal Navy personnel during a rehearsal for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at HMS Collingwood, in Fareham, Hampshire. The Pageant on Sunday has over 10,000 involved and is anticipating over a billion people watching from across the globe
Those picnicking at the Big Jubilee Lunch and taking part in the spectacular Pageant parade through London on Sunday could face unsettled weather with a cloudier day, 19C (66F) highs and some risk of showers. Royal Navy personnel rehearse for their role at the Pageant on Sunday
Set to be watched by up to a billion people across the globe, more than 10,000 people have been involved in staging the £15million procession
Puppet corgis, a giant 3D wire bust of the Queen and the Gold State Coach are just some of the sights set to feature in the 1.8-mile (3km) parade
A peloton of 300 cyclists, riding vintage bikes from across the seven decades of her reign, is to travel down The Mall led by Sir Chris Hoy and cycling golden couple Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny. Pictured: Royal Navy and the Royal Marine Corps of Drums personnel during a rehearsal for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at HMS Collingwood, in Fareham
Members of the marching band rehearse for their role in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in Fareham
Members of the Royal Marines rehearse for their role in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in Fareham
Royal Navy and Royal Marines rehearse for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant. More than 200 personnel, supported by the Royal Marine Corps of Drums, are put through their paces for the final time before they represent the Royal Navy at the Pageant on Sunday
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant will tell the story of The Queen’s 70-year reign, including her enduring and close bond with the UK Armed Forces
More than 200 personnel, supported by the Royal Marine Corps of Drums, are put through their paces for the final time before they represent the Royal Navy at the Pageant on Sunday 5 June
Ice cream vans, JCBs, Del-Boy’s Only Fools And Horses three-wheeled Reliant Regal Supervan III, 15 Sinclair C5s, and seven open-top double-decker buses decorated in images of the decade they represent will also head down The Mall and past the palace.
It is hoped the monarch will make a final appearance on the Palace balcony to round off the weekend to see a musical finale of Ed Sheeran singing the national anthem with a choir made up of nearly 200 celebrities.
The pageant is split into four acts:
- For Queen and Country with a military parade;
- The Time of Our Lives progressing through seven decades of culture, music and fashion;
- Let’s Celebrate telling the story of the Queen’s life in 12 chapters with corgi puppets and carnival creations; and
- Happy and Glorious musical spectacle starring Ed Sheeran and close to 200 celebrities.
** What are you doing to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee? Please email: mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk **
A lifesize knitted Queen Elizabeth and a little corgi is seen in the grounds of St Luke’s Church in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire
A local community group, the Holmes Chapel Community Yarn Bombers have filled their village of Holmes Chapel with patriotic knitted items to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Pictured is a knitted Queen with two British guardsmen on top of a Royal Mail pillar box
Knitted British guard puppets are attached to the gate of St Luke’s Church in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, to celebrate the Queen’s record-breaking 70 years on the throne
A knitted British guard puppet and red, white and blue covers are displayed on a pole in the streets of Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, for the Platinum Jubilee
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