The Queen's Platinum Jubilee is almost here and it will deliver a bumper weekend of celebrations across the country. Thursday 2 and Friday 3 June are both bank holidays, meaning Brits can enjoy a four-day break to honour the Queen's 70-year reign.
A concert at Buckingham palace, pageants and parades are just a few of the events that will honour the historic weekend in the capital city. While up and down the UK, communities are preparing street parties, garden shows and more.
Kicking off the extended weekend on Thursday 2 June in London is the traditional Trooping The Colour ceremony. It allows the troops of the Household Division - a group of seven army regiments - to pay a personal tribute to the sovereign. More than 1,500 officers and soldiers and 250 horses will stage the display on Horse Guards Parade, with the colour trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards.
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Some 400 musicians from 10 military bands and corps of drums will march amid pomp and pageantry. After, a special flypast is due to take place, with dozens of aircraft from the Royal Navy, the Army and Royal Air Force soaring over Buckingham Palace.
It will take six minutes to fly over the crowds and is expected to include more than three times the number of aircraft which took part in the Queen’s last birthday parade flypast in central London in 2019. The display will also include aircraft recently seen responding to events in Kabul and Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic.
Highlights from the history of the RAF, including aircraft from the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, will also be highlighted. The Queen is expected to watch the flypast from the palace balcony with other members of the royal family.
But the monarch has limited the Trooping The Colour balcony appearance to working members of her family, with the Duke of York and Duke and Duchess of Sussex missing out.
How to watch
A ballot and tickets were available for the Trooping The Colour event, but these appear to be sold out now. Those who plan on being in the capital to celebrate the weekend can join the crowds of spectators on the edge of St James's Park overlooking Horse Guards Parade or along The Mall for the parade
The action will also be broadcast live on the BBC. Trooping The Colour begins at 10am, with the flypast expecting to soar over Buckingham Palace for around 1pm.
