The U.K is pulling out all the stops to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II as she becomes the first monarch in British history to mark a Platinum Jubilee—reigning for over 70 years.
Though the queen's accession day—the date she officially became queen when her father, King George VI died—was in February, the main Jubilee celebrations have been planned to take place around the time of the monarch's official birthday in June.
The central weekend of celebrations begins with two days of bank holidays (national holidays) on Thursday, June 2, and continues until Sunday, June 5.
Here Newsweek rounds up the key events in the jubilee weekend from a special display by the British armed forces to a star-studded pop concert spectacular being staged outside Buckingham Palace.
Thursday, June 2
Trooping of the Colour
The weekend of Jubilee jubilations kicks off on Thursday, June 2 with a special Trooping of the Colour ceremony.
This special military review is an annual tradition that forms part of the monarch's official birthday celebrations. The tradition of kings and queens having two birthdays is thought to have originated with George II in 1748, who didn't believe that the British people would want to come out and celebrate his real birthday in the cold of November.
King Edward VII, Queen Elizabeth II's great-grandfather, standardized the official monarch's birthday celebrations when he inherited the throne from Queen Victoria in 1901.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. in Horse Guards Parade at the end of The Mall and the colour (a regimental flag) will be trooped by the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
Members of the royal family traditionally attend the Trooping of the Colour ceremony and process down The Mall from Buckingham Palace in open carriages. In 2019, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attended the ceremony, the last time it has been held since the pandemic.
Platinum Jubilee Flypast
Following the military review, the members of the royal family and queen traditionally ride back to Buckingham Palace down The Mall ready to take their places on the iconic palace balcony for a "flypast" performed by the Royal Air Force.
The members of the royal family who have been invited to stand on the balcony this year have been restricted to those that undertake official engagements on behalf of the queen. This includes her children Prince Charles, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not been invited to stand on the balcony as they have stepped down as working royals.
Jubilee Beacons
Two-thousand special jubilee beacons will be lit on the evening of June 2 to mark the queen's jubilee across the U.K and the commonwealth. The first beacon will be lit outside Buckingham Palace and in accordance with the royals' eco-credentials, the "lighting" will involve illuminating The Queen's Green Canopy 'Tree of Trees' sculpture on The Mall.
Friday, June 3
Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral
A national service of thanksgiving has played a part in all of the major jubilees in modern royal history.
For the Platinum Jubilee, St Paul's Cathedral is to play host to the service and the recently refurbished bell "Great Paul" will be rung especially for its first royal occasion since the 1970s.
Members of the royal family are expected to attend the service however, the queen's attendance will not be confirmed until that day.
Saturday, June 4
The Epsom Derby
The Epsom Derby is one of Britain's biggest horse racing events as a part of the five English classic races.
The queen is a passionate horsewoman as well as a breeder of some of the country's finest racehorses. The 96-year-old monarch has won every one of the English classic horse races apart from the Derby and hopes were high that she could achieve this in her jubilee year.
The queen's entries for the Derby were withdrawn earlier this month on the grounds that they were not at the standard needed to compete. It is reported that the monarch still hopes to be able to attend the event with members of her close family.
Platinum Party at the Palace Concert
Topping off a royal day at the races, an extraordinary pop concert is planned to take place outside Buckingham Palace with a crowd of over 22,000 people attending alongside the royals.
The lineup for the concert has been announced by the BBC and will include performances from Sir Elton John, Lin Manuel Miranda, and the band Queen with the addition of Adam Lambert.
The night will be closed by a set from the queen of Motown, Diana Ross, who said of the opportunity:
"I have had the honor of meeting The Queen many times throughout my life, including when I was with my family. Her Majesty has and continues to be such an incredible inspiration to so many across the world and I was absolutely delighted to receive an invitation to perform on such a momentous and historic occasion."
Sunday, June 5
The Big Jubilee Lunch
The Big Jubilee Lunch is an event going on across Britain and the Commonwealth where communities come together to share a meal in celebration of the queen's reign.
So far over 60,000 people have registered to host Big Jubilee Lunches from small family BBQs to large traditional community street parties.
Platinum Jubilee Pageant
The grand finale to the central weekend of jubilee celebrations is planned to be a grand pageant representing highlights from the queen's 70-year reign.
The centerpiece of the pageant will be the Gold State Coach, which was made in the year 1760 and used by every monarch at their coronation since George IV.
During the pageant, the coach will feature projections in its windows of film footage taken on the queen's coronation day in 1953.
The pageant will also feature a host of famous faces paying tribute to the queen in a grand finale outside Buckingham Palace, including a special performance by superstar musician Ed Sheeran.
The pageant is reported to be watched by an expected audience of up to a billion viewers across the globe.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
