Watch: UK military parade kicks off Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations
- UK celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne with four days of pomp, parties and parades
- Formal celebrations begin on Thursday with the Trooping the Colour military parade in central London
Four days of celebrations honouring Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne gets started on Thursday with a display of British military traditions stretching from the days of horse and cannon to the jet age.
Formal celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee begin with Trooping the Colour in London, an annual military review that has marked the sovereign’s official birthday since 1760.
The 96-year-old queen is expected to join the working members of her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at the end of the event, when 70 aircraft are set to roar overhead.
Balcony appearances this year are restricted to working royals only, which means no Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, nor Prince Andrew.
The queen will be seen again at Windsor Palace, west of London, as more than 2,800 beacons are lit at Buckingham Palace and across the UK, including atop the four highest peaks, as well as on the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and British Overseas Territories.
Friday will see a thanksgiving service at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, while on Saturday royal family members will attend the Epsom Derby horse race.