Thank you to everyone who joined in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, making it a weekend too remember.
The four-day UK bank holiday weekend marked the culmination of events to mark this unprecedented anniversary, with a series of spectacular events taking place in central London.
As well as national events in London, community activities took place across the UK.
Thursday 2nd June
Trooping the Colour
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee is well underway! Trooping the Colour took place in central London watched by tens of thousands of people who lined The Mall and watched on big screens nearby, as well as the many more watching from their homes.
The 'Colour' or regimental flag was trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and more than 1200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division who put on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade, together with hundreds of Army musicians and around 240 horses. This annual event has now marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years.
During the parade a Royal Gun Salute was fired.
Once the parade had ended the Royal Procession returned to Buckingham Palace where The Queen came out on the balcony to take a salute, accompanied by The Duke of Kent, Colonel of the Scots Guards.
Later, Her Majesty was joined by other members of the Royal Family to watch the flypast from 70 RAF aircraft.
How to watch:
You can catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Platinum Jubilee Beacons
What's happening? Over 1,500 beacons were lit throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories, continuing the United Kingdom’s long tradition of celebrating Royal Jubilees, Weddings and Coronations with a chain of lights across the country.
A beacon chain, once used as a tool for communication, has now become a symbol of unity across towns, borders, countries and continents and is often the central point of focus for any outdoor gathering or celebration. In 1897, beacons were lit to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. In 1977, 2002 and 2012, beacons commemorated the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of The Queen, and in 2016 Her Majesty’s 90th birthday.
The Principal beacon, involving The Tree of Trees (a 21m high 'tree' constructed of 350 smaller trees), was lit in a special ceremony, with The Queen setting off a chain of light in Windsor and The Duke of Cambridge watching the Tree of Trees light up outside Buckingham Palace.
There were three kinds of beacon events:
- Community Beacons – thousands of beacons will be lit by communities, charities and different groups throughout the regions of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories.
- Commonwealth Beacons - beacons will be lit in all capital cities of the Commonwealth - 54 in total.
- Principal Beacon - to be lit on the 2nd June in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Find out more at: www.queensjubileebeacons.com
How to watch: Catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Friday 3rd June
Service of Thanksgiving
A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign was held at St Paul’s Cathedral. Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, was rung for the Service. 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 8 occasions since, but this is the 1st royal occasion it will be rung.
How to watch: You can catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Download the Order of Service:
The Princess Royal in Scotland
Her Royal Highness joined Jubilee celebrations in Edinburgh, where she met members of the public celebrating the Jubilee at Edinburgh Zoo - as well as feeding some feathered friends - and visited HMS Albion:
Saturday 4th June
The Derby at Epsom Downs
Members of the Royal Family attended the Derby at Epsom Downs. One the highlights of the flat season, the Derby is one of English racing's five Classics in addition to the Oaks, the 1,000 Guineas, the St Leger, and the 2,000 Guineas. The Derby is run over one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards on Epsom Downs.
Royal visits
Mmbers of the Royal Family continued their Jubilee visits acrross the UK on Day Three of the celebrations. The Earl and Countess of Wessex were in Northern Ireland:
Whilst The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took the whole family to Wales.
Platinum Party at the Palace
The celebration saw famous faces from the world of entertainment brought together to perform for a night of musical tributes to celebrate The Queen's 70-year reign. 22,000 people attended the event including 10,000 allocated in a public ballot and 5,000 tickets for key workers.
Though The Queen did not attend in person, Her Majesty kicked off the party in style, joined by another national treasure:
How to watch:
You can catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Sunday 5th June
The Big Jubilee Lunch
Over 60k people hosted Big Jubilee Lunches over the Platinum celebration weekend, with events ranging from world record attempts for the longest street party to back garden BBQ’s and everything in between.
Over ten million people across the UK joined the celebrations to share friendship, food and fun at Big Jubilee Lunches as part of this nationwide act of community friendship. People across the world also joined in with over 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond - from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan and South Africa to Switzerland.
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant
The Pageant served as an opportunity to gather and pay tribute to The Queen culminating with the singing of the National Anthem, ‘God Save the Queen’ to the sounds of the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.
The Pageant brought to life iconic moments from The Queen’s reign as well as showcasing our changing society over the past 70 years.
10,000 people were involved, including the military, over 6,000 volunteers, performers, key workers and 2,500 members of the general public.
People from all over the UK and across the Commonwealth gave their time and creativity to build this event and celebrate this momentous occasion.
National treasures and iconic figures from music, film, sport and the arts took part in the Pageant including much-loved celebrity names, alongside military personnel, key workers and volunteers.
The Gold State Carriage, led by The Sovereign’s Escort, led the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, embracing the latest in digital technology to evoke the excitement and majesty of her journey to be crowned 70 years ago.
How to watch:
You can catch up on BBC iPlayer.
A thank you from The Queen
The Queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the finale of the Pageant. Thousands of members of the public gathered outside Buckingham Palace to sing 'God Save The Queen' and cheer Her Majesty on the final day of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
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Shortly after her balcony appearance, The Queen issued a message thanking all those who had taken part in the weekend's celebrations.
I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.
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