With The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee fast approaching, we’ve put together the ultimate guide of key events and timings for the four-day bank holiday weekend!
How will you be celebrating?
Queen Elizabeth II marks her Platinum Jubilee this weekend with official celebrations
Thursday 2nd June
Trooping the Colour
The regimental flag (or colour) will be trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and more than 1200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division will put on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade, together with hundreds of army musicians and around 240 horses.
This annual event has now marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years. During the parade a Royal Gun Salute will be fired, but The Queen will not take the salute this year.
Once the parade has ended and the Royal Procession has returned to Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family’s balcony appearance will happen, as in previous years. This year, however, only the immediate family of working Royals will appear.
There will be the usual flypast to coincide with the Royal Family’s balcony appearance from the Red Arrows and historic planes.
The Parade will begin at 10am. Members of the Royal Family will depart Buckingham Palace from approximately 10.30am.
How to watch:
From home: you can watch live on BBC One from 10am.
In public on a big screen: you can watch on big screens in the following locations:
– St James’s Park, London
– The Mall, London
– Bute Park, Cardiff
– Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh
Carriages carrying members of the Royal Family set off from Buckingham Palace to down the Mall to Trooping the Colour at Horseguards Parade.
Platinum Jubilee Beacons
Over 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Overseas Territories, continuing the long tradition of celebrating jubilees, weddings and coronations with a chain of lights across the country.
The Principal beacon, involving The Tree of Trees (a 21m high ‘tree’ constructed of 350 smaller trees), will be lit in a special ceremony. Members of the Royal Family will arrive at approximately 9.25pm.
How to watch: You can watch live on BBC One from 8pm.
Friday 3rd June
Service of Thanksgiving
A Service of Thanksgiving will take place at St Paul’s Cathedral for The Queen’s 70 year reign. Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will be rung for the Service. It was made in 1882, but fell silent in the 1970s due to a broken mechanism.
It was restored in 2021 and has been rung on eight occasions since, but this is the first royal occasion for which it has been used.
Members of the Royal Family will arrive from approximately 11am.
How to watch: You can watch live on BBC One from 9.15am.
Saturday 4th June
Derby at Epsom Downs
Members of the Royal Family are set to attend the Derby at Epsom Downs. The Derby is one of English racing’s five Classics. The Derby is run over one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards on Epsom Downs.
The Queen has one runner this year.
How to watch: The race will be broadcast live on ITV1 as part of their full coverage from Epsom, at 4.30pm.
Platinum Party at the Palace
A concert featuring famous faces from the world of entertainment brought together to perform for a night of musical tributes to celebrate The Queen’s 70-year reign. The lineup includes Queen & Adam Lambert, Craig David, Sir Elton John and Alicia Keys. Members of the Royal Family will arrive from 7:40pm.
The concert will be broadcast live on BBC One from 8pm to 10.30pm.
How to watch:
In public on a big screen: you can watch on big screens in the following locations:
– St James’s Park, London
– The Mall, London
– Bute Park, Cardiff
– Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh
Sunday 5th June
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant
The Pageant will bring to life iconic moments from The Queen’s reign as well as showcasing our changing society over the past 70 years. 10,000 people are set to be involved, including the military. There will be over 6,000 volunteers, performers, key workers and 2,500 members of the general public.
Members of the Royal Family – The Prince of Wales, Duke of Edinburgh, The Queen, The Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry – aboard the Spirit of Chartwell during the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames in 2012
National treasures and iconic figures from music, film, sport and the arts will take part in the Pageant including much-loved celebrity names, alongside military personnel, key workers and volunteers.
The event will feature the Gold State Carriage, which will be led by The Sovereign’s Escort. The Carriage will lead the Pageant.
The Queen won’t personally travel in the Gold State Carriage; original film footage recorded on Coronation Day will be used to recreate the magic of that extraordinary occasion. The Pageant will begin at 2.30pm.
How to watch:
From home: you can watch live on BBC One from 1pm.
In public on a big screen: you can watch on big screens in the following locations:
- The Mall, London
- St James’s Park, London
- Whitehall, London
- Bute Park, Cardiff
- Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh
