This year Her Majesty the Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the UK and the Realms and the Commonwealth. She also became the third longest reigning monarch in the entire world in all of history. Events and initiatives have and will continue to take place throughout the year, but the jam-packed, four-day royal extravaganza in honor of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee starting tomorrow! People in the UK will enjoy an extended bank holiday weekend so that they may join in the celebrations.
Thursday June 2nd
The Queen's Birthday Parade, Trooping the Colour, will begin at 10am. This is an annual event that has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years. More than 1,500 officers and soldiers and 350 horses from the Household Division will stage the display on Horse Guards Parade in central London. The First Battalion of the Irish Guards will carry and present the colors and The Queen will receive a gun salute.
Most members of the Royal Family will travel from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to the parade ground in carriages with the exception of The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge, and The Princess Royal who will arrive on horseback. For the first time in her historic 70-year reign, Her Majesty won't receive the salute at the Trooping the Colour this year due to on going "episodic mobility problems." Princes Charles and/or William and/or Princess Anne may receive the salute on her behalf. There are suggestions that The Queen will receive the salute from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The parade will conclude at Buckingham Palace where there will be a fly-past to coincide with The Queen's appearance on the balcony. Her Majesty will be joined by the other 'working members' of the family with exceptions for Princess Anne's husband and the children of the Cambridges and Wessexes.
Expect to see The Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, The Earl and Countess of Wessex with their children Lady Louis Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, The Duke of Kent, and Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence. Working members of the royal family include anyone in the family who takes on official duties on behalf of The Queen.
In the evening, more than 3,000 beacons will be lit up across the UK and the Commonwealth. Sites include the Tower or London, Windsor Great Park, Hillsborough Castle, and Sandringham and Balmoral (two of the Queen's estates).
The Principal Beacon will be lit in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace at 9pm. Beacon chains, once used as tools for communication, have now become symbol of unity across towns, countries, border, and continents. Read more about The Queen's Jubilee Beacons here.
Updated 6/2/22: The lighting will take place at 9:25pm. Prince William will light the beacon at Buckingham Palace and The Queen will light the beacon at Windsor Castle.
Friday June 3rd
A Service of Thanksgiving celebrating and honoring Her Majesty's reign will be held at St. Paul's Cathedral in central London at 11am. It will be lead by The Archbishop of York, after the Archbishop of Canterbury had to pull out after testing positive for COVID two days ago. It will be attended by the royal family, including The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of York, but there will be no ceremonial journey to the cathedral. The Queen will likely present through a side entrance in order to avoid the steep steps at the front main entrance of the church. St. Paul's Cathedral has the largest church bell in the country and will be sounded during the service.
Updated 6/2/22: Prince Andrew has tested positive for COVID and will no longer be able to attend the service.
Updated 6/2/22: HM The Queen will not attend the Service of Thanksgiving due to 'discomfort' caused by ongoing mobility problems.
Members of the Royal Family will attend a Guildhall reception hosted by
The Lord Mayor to start around
12:25 pm.
Saturday June 4th
HM The Queen, accompanied by members of Royal Family, will attend Derby Day at Epsom Downs. Approximately 40 past and present jockeys who have ridden for The Queen are expected to form an honor guard to help celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to visit Cardiff in Wales prior to the city's Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert. The royal couple will meet some of Wales's best known performers and meet the crew behind the event at Cardiff Castle, learning about the lighting, sound, and visual effects for the show before helping with the final preparations.
In the evening, the BBC's 'Platinum Party at the Palace' will feature performances by Queen, Sir Elton John, Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, Nile Rogers, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Rod Steward, Duran Duran, and will feature appearances from tennis player Emma Raducanu, Dame Julie Andrews, David Beckham, Sir David Attenborough, and Stephen Fry.
A crowd on 22,000 is expected. Throughout the show, Buckingham Palace will be illuminated by projections to accompany the performances. The evening will be centered around global themes that have been born or evolved during Her Majesty's reign. BBC coverage starts at 7:30pm.
Sunday June 5th
Sunday is the day of the Big Jubilee Lunches. Over 10 million people across the UK are expected to be joining the celebrations to share friendship, food, and fun! Big Jubilee Lunches are a part of a nationwide act of community friendship. People across the world will also join in - with over 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches planned throughout the Commonwealth.
Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, who is the patron of Big Lunch, will be joined by her husband Prince Charles at a flagship lunch at The Oval, a cricket ground in south London. Prince Edward and Sophie, The Countess of Wessex will meet with people creating the 'Long Table,' down The Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle.
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant will conclude the four days of festivities. The Golden State Carriage led by The Sovereign's Escort will lead the pageant through the streets of London (in a Royal Procession, the Household Cavalry are termed 'Sovereign's Escort.'). Stars including Idris Elba and Sir Cliff Richard are set to appear in open-top buses in a through-the-ages tribute to culture and music of The Queen's 70-year reign. Ed Sheeran will end the pageant with the singing of the national anthem backed by a choir made up of 200 celebrities. The Platinum Jubilee Pageant starts at 2:30pm and ends at 5pm.
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend will be covered in the UK by BBC One and ITV One and on their respective online streaming services, BBC iPlayer and the ITV Hub.
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