Jubilee - live: Platinum Party at the Palace begins with surprise sketch of the Queen and Paddington
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two eldest children arrive at Cardiff Castle
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Your support makes all the difference.The Platinum Party of the Palace has begun with a surprise pre-recorded sketch featuring the Queen and Paddington bear.
Kicking off the performances is Queen + Adam Lambert with a rousing renditon of “We Will Rock You” - with the Queen joining in via teacup.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will miss the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert on Saturday evening, as they celebrate their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday “privately” in Windsor.
Other royal family members are attendance of the star-studded performance include the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn, the Princess Royal, and others will also be there.
Amongst this weekend’s celebrations, the Queen did not attend the Epsom Derby today after also missing the platinum jubilee thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that her Majesty watched the major sporting event on television at Windsor Castle, after experiencing “discomfort” following a busy first day of festivities on Thursday.
Queen receives standing ovation at Platinum Jubilee show as the nation salutes her 70 years of service
What’s on the schedule for the platinum jubilee today?
Queen Elizabeth II: What does it mean to be both a human and a national symbol?
What time does the Platinum Jubilee concert start and how can I watch it? 
The longer the Queen lives, the higher the stakes rise on one key question
Royal mint unveils largest-ever 15kg gold coin for Queen’s platinum jubilee
The Royal Mint has created a 15kg gold coin in celebration of the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
The special coin, which is the largest to ever be produced in the mint’s 1,100-year history, has a diameter of 220cm.
Saman Javed reports:
Royal mint unveils largest-ever 15kg gold coin for Queen’s platinum jubilee
The coin took 400 hours to make
Where will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stay during the platinum jubilee?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have confirmed they will be attending Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations along with their two children this month.
The scheduled June visit to the UK will mark the first time the 96-year-old monarch has met the couple’s daughter, Lilibet Diana, 11 months.
But where will the Sussexes stay when they are here? Chelsea Ritschel investigates:
Where will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stay during Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?
Sussexes will attend Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations with their two children in June
Which platinum jubilee events will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend?
With the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attending the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations next week, you may be wondering which events they will be present for.
My colleague Saman Javed has the answers:
Queen’s platinum jubilee: Which events will Harry and Meghan attend?
The couple have confirmed they will return to the UK for the celebrations
70 fun facts about the Queen
To celebrate Her Majesty’s milestone, Buckingham Palace has released 70 facts about the Queen to celebrate her seven-decade reign.
From becoming the longest-reigning monarch in British history, to her first trip on the London Underground, and details from her wedding to Prince Philip, here are some things you might not know about Queen Elizabeth II.
70 facts about the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee
Her Majesty is celebrating her seven-decade reign this year
From Salad Queen to LamQueeni, all the jubilee-themed food you can buy
Nothing says “70 years on the throne” quite like “Salad Queen” and “LamQueenie”, among countless other jubilee specials that have emerged to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s long reign – the longest of any British monarch.
With the Queen’s big platinum jubilee weekend drawing ever closer, brands have released a plethora of royal-themed food and drink products to mark Her Majesty’s historic milestone. We’ve rounded them all up for your jubilee feasting needs:
From Salad Queen to LamQueeni, all the jubilee-themed food you can buy
The Queen’s platinum jubilee celebratory weekend will take place at the start of June
Wax figures of Harry and Meghan rejoin royal family at Madam Tussauds
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have rejoined the royal family at Madame Tussauds to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
Waxwork figures of the main family members have received a black tie makeover in preparation for the event marking the monarch’s 70-year reign on 5 June.
The reunion at the London attraction brings the Sussexes back together publicly with the family for the first time since their move to the US in 2020.
Meghan’s waxwork has been dressed in a red, caped Safiyaa gown, which she wore on one of her last royal engagements at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in London in March 2020.
The Queen’s waxwork, which is the 23rd of 24 created of the monarch by Madame Tussauds London across her 70-year reign, has been dressed in a recreation of the garment she wore in her official Diamond Jubilee portrait.
The white and silver lace dress is covered in 53,000 Swarovski elements, completed with a blue silk sash and topped off by a replica of the diamond and pearl George IV State Diadem.
Royal fans can also view the Royal Dress Collection that will be on display at Madame Tussauds London from 27 May, showcasing seven gowns that have graced some of the Queen’s 24 figures created during her 70-year reign.
PA
Huge 70-ft ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture erected outside Buckingham Palace
A tree-like structure measuring 70-feet high, with 350 native British trees adorning its “branches”, has been erected outside Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
The huge sculpture was completed on Tuesday. It was designed by architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick, who said Her Majesty herself gave approval for the plans with a “big thumbs up”.
To help complete the sculpture, junior foresters visited the palace and planted a batch of six-foot saplings in pots that had the monarch’s cypher embossed on them.
They also helped weave LED lights through the structure, which will serve as the principal beacon on the first evening of the bank holiday weekend.
A massive team of hundreds of welders, arborists, engineers and fabricators have been working on the project, which Heatherwick said he designed in just one week.
Heatherwick told ITV News: “This sculpture acts like a beacon sending one simple, eternal message that trees are the superheroes of our towns and cities and matter much more to our lives than we realise.
“We need reminding [of] how much trees humanise the world around us and they can’t be taken for granted.
“The tree twists and spirals symbolically spraying an array of 350 baby trees towards their final homes across the country - a symbol of the much bigget initiative of planting.”
All the food and drink deals over the platinum jubilee bank holiday
The platinum jubilee weekend will be packed with deals and discounts from food and drink retailers across the country.
From 25 per cent off instant grocery delivery to a competition where £500 vouchers are up for grabs, we’ve rounded up all the offers you could benefit from as the bank holiday approaches.
All the food and drink deals over the platinum jubilee bank holiday
The nation will mark the Queen’s seven decade-long reign in June
That’s a wrap on our live coverage of the Queen and the royal family today. See you tomorrow, when we return to bring you further updates on the platinum jubilee weekend.
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