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
That’s a wrap of our royal coverage today, check back in tomorrow as the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations begin!
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the platinum jubilee celebrations. Today there will be two major events, the Trooping the Colour parade and the lighting of the platinum jubilee beacons.
Good morning from Buckingham Palace
Good morning from Buckingham Palace, where The Independent will be reporting live from today’s round of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Stay tuned for live updates throughout the day.
Key events throughout the day
The main events coming up today include the Trooping of the Colour military parade from 10am and the RAF flypast, which should appear over out heads in central London around 1pm.
The latter will have the audience of the royals, who will lined up on the balcony for the spectacle.
Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, William and the Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence are expected on the balcony for the flypast.
The principal beacon outside Buckingham Palace will also be lit by a senior member of the royal family to join up with a network of flaming tributes across the UK and Commonwealth.
The full schedule for the day
The parade will begin at 10am, and end with a RAF flypast at 1pm, which royal family members will watch from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Here is the full rundown of timings for today:
Trooping the Colour: What’s on the schedule for platinum jubilee today?
This is what to expect on day one of the platinum jubilee weekend
Where will Harry and Meghan be during the parade?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will join the royal family at Trooping the Colour on Thursday – though the Queen will not be with them.
In May, Buckingham Palace announced the Queen has decided to limit the balcony line-up to working members of the royal family, appearing to rule out the couple who abandoned royal duties in 2020 and Prince Andrew.
Read more about Harry and Meghan’s movements:
This is where Harry and Meghan will be during the Trooping the Colour parade
Couple will watch Charles lead ceremony in Queen’s place
Smaller, cheaper, and more democratic: The future of the British monarchy
What does the future of the British monarchy look like, asks Sean O’Grady.
The short answer to that question, as we look towards the arrival of King Charles III (it sounds so strange, doesn’t it?), is that it will have a ruddy red face, a combover and be extremely well tailored, albeit with a self-consciously fogeyish sense of style.
It will, almost inevitably, be a time when the mettle of the man, those around him and the constitution he inherits will be tested, very possibly to the limit.
Read more here.
5,000 to join largest party on Sunday
The largest party celebrating the Queen’s record-breaking 70-year reign is set to be Morecambe Bay’s Big Jubilee Lunch on Sunday, which is hosting around 5,000 people at over 500 tables overlooking the sea.
Official celebrations will begin at 1pm with a Samba dance down the promenade, before Lord Shuttleworth - the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire - cuts a replica cake of the kind the Queen cut at the G7 Big Lunch at Eden last year.
Organiser Luke Trevaskis said the Lancashire seaside town is “incredibly proud” to be hosting Jubilee celebrations.
Queen says nation can look to future with ‘confidence and enthusiasm’ in jubilee message
The Queen has shared a message with the nation ahead of her platinum jubilee celebrations.
She said: “I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last 70 years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm,” she said.
Here is the story:
Queen thanks nation for its goodwill on eve of jubilee celebrations
‘I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me’
Mixed picture for bank holiday weather
The Met Office has said northern areas can expect a cool and showery start to the bank holiday on Thursday, before temperatures pick up on Friday, which is set to be the warmest day of the weekend.
Temperatures are set to soar to 26C in the south on Friday, while north-west Scotland is expected to be the warmest on Sunday.
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