Music artists and royals are gearing up for the Platinum Party at the Palace on Saturday evening, as part of the Queen’s four-day jubilee celebrations.
More than 30 royals will gather at Buckingham Palace for the event to see performances by Diana Ross, Ella Eyre and George Ezra, who tweeted ahead of his performance on Saturday afternoon: “Here’s something I never imagined myself saying … I’m playing at Buckingham Palace tonight for the Queen’s Jubilee!!”
Queen will open the event with a special one-off production and Ross’ performance will be the first time she has played live in the UK in 15 years.
Alicia Keys, Adam Lambert and the Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder will also perform at the two-and-a-half-hour event and there will be a specially recorded appearance from Elton John.
There will also be appearances by public figures including Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, Stephen Fry and Dame Julie Andrews.
The Prince of Wales and his eldest son, the Duke of Cambridge, will pay tribute to the Queen in a speech.
However, the Queen is not expected to attend, having missed some celebrations since appearing on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for her birthday event on Thursday.
She was not at a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral, after experiencing “some discomfort” on Thursday.
The keen horse-racing fan was not at Epsom on Saturday to watch the derby. Her eldest granddaughter, Zara Tindall, said that the monarch would be watching the day at home at Windsor Castle in “comfy clothes”.
“She will be watching on the TV – she has a few runners today dotted around the country, so she knows exactly what’s going on,” she said.
The 96-year-old is expected to appear for events to mark the Jubilee on Sunday.
Also missing on Saturday evening will be the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, after attending a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.
Their daughter, Lilibet, is celebrating her first birthday, and they are said to be spending the day privately. Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are to attend, as are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The event will be broadcast live on BBC One from 8pm, and the Guardian will be following the action in a live blog.
