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.
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Crowds along The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace are celebrating a “once in a lifetime” moment as the Queen’s Jubilee parade kicked off.
Thousands have travelled from all over the UK to join the festivities in central London.
Three army veterans said they had travelled down from Aberdeenshire to celebrate the event.
Pointing to the palace, one said: “A wee wifey that lives in that house, there, and she has had that job for 70 years and she needs a wee bit of celebration, and we highlanders are here to wish her well.”
Emily Hurle, Lauren Stone and Amelia Jull, all 28, and Lauren Keith, 27, who moved to London from New Zealand, came to the Mall wearing tiaras and drinking cocktails.
“We’re here to celebrate the Queen, of course,” Ms Keith said.
Ms Hurle said: “I think she’s a fantastic leader and in 70 years she’s done exceedingly well.”
“Yup, she’s a legend. We love her,” Ms Stone added.
Duchesses watch parade together
As the Guardsmen and officers passed by the Queen on the balcony, the monarch watched them parade as thousands lined The Mall.
The Jubilee Queen, head of the Armed Forces, carefully inspected the military from up high as she stood with her cousin, the Duke of Kent - Colonel of the Scots Guards.
The 96-year-old Queen was holding a walking stick and wearing the Guards’ Badge on her coat.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were among the guests who watched Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards.
They joined other royals including the Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Cornwall in the Duke of Wellington’s former office the parade ground.
Queen watches flypast
The royal family are watching a six-minute flypast of more than 70 aircraft features Apache helicopters, Typhoons and The Red Arrows.
Dozens of aircraft from the Royal Navy, the Army and Royal Air Force are soaring over Buckingham Palace.
Queen enjoys private moment with princes
The Prince of Wales stood on the Queen’s right-hand side and the pair could be seen chatting and smiling ahead of the flypast.
Huge cheers of “hooray” erupted from the thousands of royal fans on The Mall in front of the palace.
As aircraft approached, the Queen was looking ahead and smiling.
Meanwhile, her great-grandson Prince Louis waved towards the sky and could also be seen resting his chin in his hands.
The Queen interacted with Louis, who was standing next to her on the balcony.
The young prince held his hands over his ears as the aircraft soared overhead.
The monarch smiled throughout the flypast and waved at the crowds before going back into the palace.
Household Cavalry delights Queen
When the Queen made her appearance on the balcony, there was a delayed reaction from the crowds in The Mall and spectators sitting in the stands built for Saturday’s Party at the Palace.
A cheer went up when they spotted her on screens and she smiled as the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment passed the gates of Buckingham Palace.
The troopers took around five minutes to ride past and she could be seen chatting to her cousin the Duke of Kent, who had joined her on the balcony.
Balcony royal line-up
The Queen waved to crowds as the royal family lined up on the Buckingham Palace balcony:
‘70' in the sky
Queen watches spectacular flypast over Buckingham Palace alongside royal family
The young prince could be seen holding his hands over his ears as the aircraft soared overhead.
The monarch smiled throughout the flypast and waved at the crowds before going back into the palace.
The Queen could be seen interacting with her great-grandson Prince Louis, who was standing next to her on the balcony.
You can watch the flypast here:
Queen watches spectacular flypast over Buckingham Palace alongside royal family
The Queen was joined by working members of the royal family to watch the special platinum jubileeRAF flypast at Buckingham Palace.Her Majesty stood alongside Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton and other royals on the balcony of her central London residence on Thursday afternoon. The impressive spectacle saw 70 planes fly overhead, culminating with the iconic Red Arrows filling the sky with red, white and blue smoke. The formation also included the historic Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, as well as other aircraft from the Royal Navy and the Army.Click here to sign up for our newsletters.
McCartney and Beckham celebrate Queen
Sir Paul McCartney and David Beckham are among the stars celebrating the Queen as festivities for the Platinum Jubilee weekend get under way.
The Beatles star, 79, was knighted by the Queen in 1997, and shared a picture of himself with her from an event the year before as he congratulated her on her 70-year reign.
Alongside a picture on Instagram, Sir Paul wrote: “70 beautiful years of Queen Elizabeth the second. Congrats ma’ am! And thanks - Paul.”
David Beckham hailed the Queen’s reign as “remarkable” and wrote on Instagram: “Today, we celebrate our Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. 70 years of service and inspirational leadership of our country. Let’s come together and commemorate her remarkable reign with a great British party these next few days.”
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