Queen’s platinum jubilee – live: Monarch returns to Windsor ahead of platinum jubilee celebrations

The Queen will lead the lighting of the principal jubilee beacon this Thursday, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The lighting will take place in a special ceremony at Windsor Castle on Thursday evening, the first day of the four-day platinum jubilee bank holiday weekend.

The new engagement, added to the Queen’s jubilee diary, will see the monarch symbolically touch the Commonwealth Globe of Nations, created for the Beacons projects, in the castle Quadrangle.

Laura Hampson has the full report, including who will be lighting the Buckingham Palace beacon, here:

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed they will be attending the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations.

While some outlets have speculated that the couple, along with their two childre, Archie and Lilibet, will touch down in England on Wednesday, they are yet to be spotted.

It marks the first time the family has returned to the UK after Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020. They have since settled in California.

But without an official royal residence in the UK, some have been left wondering where the couple will stay during their trip.

Those hoping to celebrate our monarch at their local pub this weekend are in for a treat, as establishments across England and Wales have been granted permission to extend their opening hours.

Pubs will be allowed to stay open past the usual 11pm curfew to 1am on Thursday 2 June, Friday 3 June and Saturday 4 June.

In Scotland, only pubs and bars in Glasgow will be permitted to pour drinks later than usual.

Joanna Whitehead reports:

While it is unclear exactly how much the long weekend is costing, the government has pledged more than £20 million towards the celebrations.

In his March 2021 Budget, Chancellor Rish Sunak announced that £28 million is being set aside to fund the jubilee events.

Saman Javed has the details:

Talented knitters up and down the country have been celebrating the upcoming weekend, creating platinum jubilee-themed accessories for Royal Mail postboxes.

The postal service has shared some designs on Twitter:

There is much speculation about which platinum jubilee events the Queen will attend, with Buckingham Palace previously announcing that the Queen’s attendance at the celebrations will not be confirmed “until the day itself”.

The spokesperson explained: “The Queen is looking forward to the weekend and will be taking part in the celebrations but her presence will not be confirmed until much nearer the time or even on the day itself.”

Despite this, the monarch is currently expected to attend the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Thursday 2 June and a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 3 June.

Joanna Whitehead has the details:

A 10,000-strong pageant honouring the monarch is expected to captivate the capital on Sunday 5 June.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant, which will conclude the four-day festivities, is one of the main official events organised by Buckingham Palace and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Performers from across the UK and the Commonwealth will tell the story of the Queen’s 70-year reign – the longest of any British monarch in history – and the changing face of British society.

Kate Ng has charted the pageant’s route and where you can watch:

The platinum jubilee celebrations will kick off with the Queen’s “official” birthday on Thursday, which is marked with a military parade named Trooping the Colour.

During the parade, soldiers, musicians and horses will make their way down The Mall in London towards Buckingham Palace, and streets will be filled with spectators.

The Queen’s “official” birthday celebrations will be attended by all working members of the royal family and their children.

The Buckingham Palace has confirmed that 17 members of the family will join the Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be included in the line-up.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have been photographed in London this week, having arrived ahead of the UK’s special bank holiday weekend.

Photographs of the pair taken on Tuesday showed Kardashian wearing a full Balenciaga outfit, featuring a cropped beige hoodie and shiny gold leggings that ended with pointed stiletto boots.

Davidson, who recently died his hair platinum blonde to match his girlfriend’s, wore a black hoodie under a quilted black jacket with dark green trousers and white trainers.

Some reports have speculated that Kardashian and Davidson are in London to meet with other celebrities attending the Queen’s platinum jubilee parties.

With just one day to go until the Queen’s platinum jubilee, we want to know; do you have a favourite royal and if so, who?

We’ve listed all the main – living and adult – members of the royal family as it is at the moment, from the Queen to all her grandchildren and spouses who are most regularly in the public eye, including Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.

We’d like to give our readers the definitive ranking over the weekend, so pick your favourite, or let us know that you don’t have one by voting in our reader poll here: