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Queen Elizabeth is celebrating 70 years on the British throne. This no simple achievement; the Queen, born in 1926, is the first British monarch to hold such a long reign. Queen Elizabeth II’s time in the throne is only surpassed by France’s King Louis XIV, who was king for 72 years and 110 days. In order to overcome the French monarch, the Queen must continue to fulfill her duties until May 2024. At this point, she’ll be 98 years old.
In the meantime, the United Kingdom is celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee hosting celebrations all across the land. In London, a variety of activities kick off Thursday June 2nd and will continue through Sunday, June 5th.
Below we’ve provided a chronology of the activities that will be carried out to celebrate her Majesty’s reign:
Thursday, June 2nd.
Thursday marks one of the most important days of the Jubilee, featuring the Trooping the Colour march. This event will be carried out by the British army and by countries from the Commonwealth. Over 1,2000 soldiers, 400 musicians and 240 horses are expected to march along The Mall, one of London’s main avenues. The Queen and the royal family are expected to salute the troops from the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
Aside from that, the Royal Air Force will also make an appearance, with planes scheduled to fly over the capital. Those who wish to attend The Mall and witness the march will have to arrive one hour before the start of the event, at 9AM London time, and will have to comply with a formal dress code.
In other places in the United Kingdome and the Commonwealth there will also be activities to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s reign, like the lighting of 1,500 bonfires.
Friday, June 3rd
The following day there will be a religious service hosted at St. Paul’s cathedral, where the Queen will be in attendance. She’ll be accompanied by her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Prince Andrew isn’t expected at the event — the Queen’s son has steered clear of the public eye since November 2019, after his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed. Epstein and members of his network were accused of sexual crimes.
Last March, Prince Andrew was in attendance at the service of the Duke of Edinburgh, who’d recently passed away. Prince Andrew was joined by the Queen and their family at the mass hosted in Westminster
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are also under the spotlight. According to The Daily Mail, the couple and their children, Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana, are in the United Kingdom. This is the first time Harry and his family are in England since 2020, when the Duke and Duchess decided to leave their roles and royal obligations behind. It’s believed that the family will stay at Frogmore Cottage, their home before they moved to the United States.
Saturday, June 4th
Following the required protocal acts, a great concert is scheduled, titled The Platimun Party at the Palace. The event will be televised and can be viewed live at BBC One, starting at 7:30 PM (London time).
The concert will kick off with Queen, who’ll be joined by Adam Lambert. Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow, George Ezra, Duran Duran, Andrea Bocelli, Mimi Webb, Jax Jones, Celeste, Nile Rodgers, Sigala and Diversity are also expected to performa.
Sam Ryder, the represenative of the United Kingdom at Eurovision 2022, will also join the celebration, performing live. To close out the evening, Diana Ross will perform some of her greatest hits.
Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, Stephen Fry, Dame Julie Andrews, The Royal Ballet and Ellie Simmond are also expected through the evening. There will also be a prerecorded performance from Elton John.
Sunday, June 5th.
The last day of celebrations will host the Great Jubilee Lunch, a national wide celebration. Across the United Kingdom and countries in the Commonwealth there will be picnics and lunches in the streets. Its’ estimated that 10 million people will go out to eat and celebrate the Queen’s reign.
Lastly, the Platinum Jubilee Pageant will be celebrated. According to the Palace, the event will celebrate some of the most iconic moments of the Queen’s reign, including significant social changes that have occurred throughout the past 70 years. The pageant will conclude with Ed Sheeran performing God Save the Queen.