Timings for the Platinum Jubilee weekend have been unveiled for the Queen who, as well as being the nation’s longest reigning monarch, is also the longest still-serving sovereign in the world.
Here is the rundown of what will happen at events and celebrations as the nation pays tribute to the Queen’s 70 years as sovereign.
Thursday 2nd June
10am – The Queen’s Birthday Parade – Trooping the Colour – begins.
10.30am – Members of the royal family leave Buckingham Palace for the parade ground. The military spectacle will be followed by a balcony appearance by the Queen, it is hoped, plus key royals including the Cambridge children, to watch a special flypast.
9.25pm – Members of the royal family arrive to watch the lighting of the principal beacon at the palace – a 21-metre tall Tree of Trees sculpture. More than 3,000 beacons are being lit across the UK and the Commonwealth.
Friday 3rd June
11am – The royal family begin to arrive at the service of thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral.
12.25pm – Members of the royal family afterwards attend a Guildhall reception hosted by the Lord Mayor.
Saturday 4th June
5.30pm – The Epsom Derby race takes place. The Queen and her family are expected to head to the racecourse on Derby Day, where the monarch is due to be greeted with a guard of honour made of up to 40 of her past and present jockeys.
7.40pm – Members of the royal family arrive at the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert.
8pm-10.30pm – The open-air concert in front of the palace, featuring stars including Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran and Diana Ross, is broadcast live on BBC One.
2.30pm-5pm – The Jubilee Pageant takes place in central London, with a 3 kilometre carnival procession featuring a cast of thousands including puppets and celebrities and tributes to the seven decades of the Queen’s reign. It will move down The Mall and past the palace.
The finale will feature Ed Sheeran performing, and the singing of the national anthem in front of the Queen’s official residence.
