The Queen, 96, is celebrating 70 years of her reign and hopes the festivities will give people an opportunity to reflect on the country’s achievements since 1952.
Below are some details of the celebrations over the four days of celebrations, including a list of (expected) television coverage in the UK.
Any of the programs listed as being covered on Sky News should be available for streaming live on the Sky News YouTube channel worldwide. Time-zones notwithstanding. JP
02 June 2022 | James Porteous | Clipper Media News
On the eve of four days of celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee, the Queen thanked the nation for “the goodwill shown to me” and said she was looking to the future with “confidence and enthusiasm.” She said “many happy memories” will be made on this historic occasion.
The Queen has said she is “inspired by the goodwill shown to me” and thanked the nation as a new portrait of her was unveiled to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
In a special message to the country, Her Majesty said that “many happy memories will be created” over the next four days.
The Queen, 96, who is celebrating 70 years of her reign, said she hopes the festivities will give people with an opportunity to reflect on the country’s achievements since 1952.
She said she was looking to the future with “confidence and enthusiasm”.
“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in convening communities, families, neighbours and friends to mark my Platinum Jubilee, in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth,” she said.
“I know that many happy memories will be created at these festive occasions.
“I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last seventy years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm.”
Read more:
Full coverage of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
Seven decades of balcony moments celebrating the Queen’s reign
Why are beacons being lit for the Queen’s Jubilee?
The day I met the Queen: Four people share their stories
Along with her remarks, a Platinum Jubilee portrait was unveiled, showing the Queen in Windsor Castle wearing a dusk dove blue Angela Kelly coat.
The image was taken by photographer Ranald Mackechnie in the Victoria Vestibule in the Queen’s private apartments at Windsor.
The Queen, who has suffering from mobility problems in recent months and had to cancel engagements as a result, has been pacing herself ahead of the commemorations.
Trooping the Colour amended
The Queen will appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace twice on the first day of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Thursday.
The extended weekend begins with Trooping the Colour on Thursday, involving more than 1,500 officers and soldiers and 350 horses from the Household Division.
The Queen will not attend the event, but Prince Charles will be there in her place, joined by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Her Majesty will take a salute when the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and the Guard return to the palace, alongside her cousin the Duke of Kent, Colonel of the Scots Guards.
She will be joined by other working members of the Royal Family on the balcony to watch a fly-past of aircraft by the Royal Air Force.
On Horse Guards Parade, the Prince of Wales will take the salute and inspect the troops of the Household Division on Her Majesty’s behalf, joined by the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal.
It will be the first time the Queen has not carried out the duty during her reign.
Harry and Meghan to attend
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have a prime vantage point with members of the monarchy from the Duke of Wellington’s former office.
They will overlook Horse Guards Parade, where Charles will inspect the guardsmen and officers and take their salute.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend 2022
On 6th February this year Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.
To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary, events and initiatives will take place throughout the year, culminating in a four day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June.
The four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service.
Visit the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s interactive map to find out more about events taking place across the UK.
Thursday 2nd June
Trooping the Colour: The Queen’s Birthday Parade will be held on Thursday 2nd June 2022 starting at 11am. The colour will be trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and more than 1200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division will put on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade, together with hundreds of Army musicians and around 240 horses. This annual event has now marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years.
During the Queen’s birthday parade A Royal Gun Salute will be fired.
Tickets for seated viewing of Trooping at Horse Guards Parade are now sold out but there is an opportunity for people to view the display as the troops parade to and from Horse Guards Parade as it passes on its journey between Buckingham Palace and the parade ground.
During the ceremony, there will be an opportunity to watch the event via large screens, set up in St James’ Park and many more members of the public will be able to watch the spectacle live on BBC and Sky television, not just in the UK but overseas too. Once the parade has ended and the Royal Procession has returned to Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family’s balcony appearance will happen as in previous years.
There will be an impressive Flypast to coincide with the Royal Family’s balcony appearance.
Platinum Jubilee Beacons: The United Kingdom’s long tradition of celebrating Royal Jubilees, Weddings and Coronations with the lighting of beacons will continue for the Platinum Jubilee.
A beacon chain, once used as a tool for communication, has now become a symbol of unity across towns, borders, countries and continents and is often the central point of focus for any outdoor gathering or celebration.
In 1897, beacons were lit to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. In 1977, 2002 and 2012, beacons commemorated the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of The Queen, and in 2016 Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. Over 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories.
The Principal beacon, involving The Tree of Trees (a 21m high ‘tree’ constructed of 350 smaller trees), will be lit in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace at 9pm.
There are three kinds of beacon events:
- Community Beacons – thousands of beacons will be lit by communities, charities and different groups throughout the regions of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories.
- Commonwealth Beacons – beacons will be lit in all capital cities of the Commonwealth – 54 in total.
- Principal Beacon – to be lit on the 2nd June in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Find out more at: www.queensjubileebeacons.com
Friday 3rd June
Service of Thanksgiving: A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will be rung for the Service. It was made in 1882, but fell silent in the 1970s due to a broken mechanism. It was restored in 2021 and has been rung on 8 occasions since, but this is the 1st royal occasion it will be rung.
Saturday 4th June
The Derby at Epsom Downs: Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs.
Platinum Party at the Palace: Hosts Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp will lead live coverage of the Platinum Party at the Palace and air live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and across the BBC network.
The celebration will see famous faces from the world of entertainment brought together to perform for a night of musical tributes to celebrate the Jubilee. 22,000 people will attend the event including 10,000 allocated in a public ballot and 5,000 tickets for key workers.
And now for the first time, the BBC have released artist visuals of the impressive setting and stage where the acts will perform. The full line-up of acts will be announced by the BBC in the coming weeks.
Sunday 5th June
The Big Jubilee Lunch:
Over 60k people have registered to host Big Jubilee Lunches on the Platinum celebration weekend, with events ranging from world record attempts for the longest street party to back garden BBQ’s and everything in between.
Over ten million people across the UK are expected to be joining the celebrations to share friendship, food and fun at Big Jubilee Lunches as part of this nationwide act of community friendship. People across the world are also joining in with over 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches being planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond – from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan and South Africa to Switzerland.
thebigjubileelunch.com is still accepting orders for free packs to get street parties started or for people to find out where a public event in their area may be taking place.
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant: The Gold State Carriage, led by The Sovereign’s Escort, will lead the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, embracing the latest in digital technology to evoke the excitement and majesty of her journey to be crowned 70 years ago.
More details will be provided at a later date and while The Queen won’t personally travel in the regal Gold State Carriage, there will be a fabulous surprise.
The Pageant will serve as an opportunity to gather and pay tribute to Her Majesty. It will culminate with the singing of the National Anthem, ‘God Save the Queen’ and a gospel choir to the sounds of the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.
The Pageant will bring to life iconic moments from The Queen’s reign as well as showcasing our changing society over the past 70 years.
10,000 people are involved, including the military, over 6,000 volunteers, performers, key workers and 2,500 members of the general public.
People from all over the UK and across the Commonwealth are giving their time and creativity to build this event and celebrate this momentous occasion. Communities across the UK will find a connection to the ‘People’s Pageant’.
National treasures and iconic figures from music, film, sport and the arts will take part in the Pageant including much-loved celebrity names, alongside military personnel, key workers and volunteers.
Platinum Jubilee TV schedule: What’s on BBC, ITV, Sky News
With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee just days away, a range of television programmes are to air across the four-day bank holiday to celebrate the historical occasion.
Hosting the BBC’s coverage will be Kirsty Young, returning to the channel as presenter for the first time in four years.
The broadcaster has a special schedule of programmes to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, including being the host channel for the star-studded Platinum Party at the Palace on Saturday evening, presented by former Desert Island Discs host Ms Young and Capital FM presenter Roman Kemp on BBC One, along with a range of big name DJs for linked coverage on its radio stations across three hours.
It will feature the likes of Diana Ross, Queen and Adam Lambert, Duran Duran and Sir Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys, George Ezra, Mabel and Eurovision singer Sam Ryder, as well as Craig David, Andrea Bocelli, Nile Rogers and a pre-recorded performance from Sir Elton John.
BBC One, together with Sky News, will also be broadcasting The Platinum Pageant, again presented by Kirsty Young, this time with Clare Balding, AJ Odudu, Anita Rani, Sophie Morgan and Anton Du Beke on Sunday afternoon.
It will bring together performers, dancers, musicians and key workers to tell the story of the Queen’s 70 year reign in four acts: Act 1, For Queen and Country, a military spectacle celebrating the Armed Forces; Act 2, The Time of Our Lives, celebrating life in Britain from 1952 up to the modern day, including a River of Hope of 200 silk flags designed by children; Act 3, Let’s Celebrate, featuring street theatre, dance, music and giant sculptures; Act 4, Happy and Glorious, centred around the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace where performers including Ed Sheeran will help bring the celebrations to a close.
ITV’s flagship Jubilee programme will be The National Lottery’s Big Jubilee Street Party on Saturday evening, hosted by Jason Manford and Fleur East at the AO Arena, Manchester and featuring Ella Henderson, Becky Hill, Heather Small, Kaiser Chiefs and Steps as just some of the performers.
n addition to the bank holiday television, it is still possible to watch The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration, which first aired on ITV on Sunday, May 15 to kickstart the Jubilee celebrations.
Hosted by Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham, and featuring Dame Helen Mirren, Damian Lewis, Omid Djalili and Tom Cruise leading an all-star cast, the celebration was held in the private grounds of Windsor Castle.
Celebrity guests also included Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ant and Dec, Dame Joan Collins and Sir Trevor McDonald, with special performances from Katherine Jenkins and others. It can be viewed on demand via the ITV Hub.
The full list of televised Jubilee events and programmes across the four-day bank holiday is:
Thursday, June 2
7am: Jubilee Breakfast with Kay Burley – Sky News
10am: Trooping the Colour – Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young and JJ Chalmers host live coverage of Trooping the Colour, from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade – BBC One, BBC News Channel, Sky News
7pm: The One Show – Two specials marking the Platinum Jubilee air across both Thursday and Friday – BBC One
7.30pm: EastEnders Jubilee special – Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are guests of honour as the residents of Albert Square hold a street party – BBC One
8pm: Lighting up the Jubilee – The traditional lighting of beacons across the Nation and Commonwealth – BBC One
9pm: The Jubilee Beacon Show – Sky News
10.40pm: The Queen: 70 Glorious Years – Marking 70 years since The Queen ascended the throne, Britain’s best-loved stars share memories of the changes they have lived through during her reign, narrated by Julie Walters – BBC One and BBC iPlayer
Friday, June 3
7am: Jubilee Breakfast and Service of Thanksgiving with Kay Burley – Sky News
9.15am: A Service of Thanksgiving – David Dimbleby, Kirsty Young and Sophie Raworth broadcast the Service of Thanksgiving live from St Paul’s Cathedral, with the service attended by senior members of the Royal Family – BBC One
2.30pm: Royal Recipes – Michael Buerk and Paul Ainsworth impress with a dish from the Queen’s 80th birthday – BBC Two
7.30pm: The Crown Jewels – Clive Myrie looks at the different Crown Jewels and tries out crown-making – BBC One
Saturday, June 4
6am: Jubilee Breakfast – Sky News
11.30am: The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking – a repeat of the programme that first aired in May, following Fortum & Mason’s competition to find an original celebratory cake, tart or pudding fit for the Queen, judged by a panel chaired by Mary Berry – BBC One
12.30pm: A Right Royal Celebration – recipes and tips for hosting Jubilee street parties, including a guide to making the perfect Coronation Chicken – BBC One
1.15pm: The Day I Met the Queen – Aled Jones, John Craven, Carol Kirkwood, Ainsley Harriott and Jennie Bond track down people from across the UK to share their stories of when they met the monarch – BBC One
5pm – 7pm: The National Lottery’s Big Jubilee Street Party , hosted by Jason Manford and Fleur East at the AO Arena, Manchester and featuring Ella Henderson, Becky Hill, Heather Small, Kaiser Chiefs and Steps as just some of the performers – ITV
6pm: The Coronation – Documentary about the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 – BBC One
7.30pm – 10.30pm: Platinum Party at the Palace: Big names from the entertainment business perform and look back at some of the most significant moments of the Queen’s reign, featuring the likes of Diana Ross, Queen and Adam Lambert, Duran Duran and Sir Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys, George Ezra, Mabel and Eurovision singer Sam Ryder, as well as Craig David, Andrea Bocelli, Nile Rogers and a pre-recorded performance from Sir Elton John; presented by Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp – BBC One
Sunday, June 5
6am: Jubilee Breakfast with Sophy Ride – Sky News
11am: The Jubilee Big Lunch with Kay Burley – the presenter hosts live coverage of the many Big Lunch events around the UK, with special guests Dame Joanna Lumley and Sky royal events commentator Alastair Bruce – Sky News
12.10pm: Songs of Praise Platinum Jubilee Special – presenters Aled Jones and Pam Rhodes celebrate HM the Queen’s platinum jubilee at a street party in Eton and reflect on the Christian faith that has underpinned her remarkable reign, with hymns recorded at the chapel of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and special performances from Katherine Jenkins and Kingdom Choir – BBC One
1pm: The Platinum Pageant – presented by Kirsty Young, Clare Balding, AJ Odudu, Anita Rani, Sophie Morgan and Anton Du Beke, it will bring together performers, dancers, musicians and key workers to tell the story of the Queen’s 70 year reign in four acts: Act 1, For Queen and Country, a military spectacle celebrating the Armed Forces; Act 2, The Time of Our Lives, celebrating life in Britain from 1952 up to the modern day, including a River of Hope of 200 silk flags designed by children; Act 3, Let’s Celebrate, featuring street theatre, dance, music and giant sculptures; Act 4, Happy and Glorious, centred around the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace where performers including Ed Sheeran will help bring the celebrations to a close – BBC One, BBC News, Sky News (from 2pm)
8pm: What a Weekend! – Kirsty Young presents highlights of the Jubilee celebrations – BBC Two
From a pop concert outside Buckingham Palace to a £15m carnival featuring a puppet dragon as wide as the Mall, there is lots happening this week for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
There will be street parties across the country and beacons lit before the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on the final day of celebrations.
The Queen is expected to appear on the balcony for Trooping the Colour, at the Epsom Derby, the pageant and the concert, but Buckingham Palace has warned that “her presence will not be confirmed until much nearer the time or even on the day itself” because of her ongoing mobility issues.
Her Majesty would usually spend the anniversary of her coronation privately at Sandringham, but this year, given the significance of the occasion, things will be slightly different.
Thursday 2 June
The four-day bank holiday weekend kicks off at 10am with a special Jubilee edition of the usual Trooping the Colour parade in central London.
Thousands are expected to turn out for the Queen’s Birthday Parade, which will feature the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, more than 1,200 soldiers from the Household Division, 200 horses and 400 musicians. Members of the Royal Family will appear on horseback and in carriages.
Read more:
All our coverage of the Queen in her 70th year on the throne
Rain or shine? The weather forecast for Jubilee weekend
It will start at Buckingham Palace, with the Royal Family leaving at 10.30am for the parade ground, and move down the Mall to Horse Guard’s Parade before a gun is fired.
Tickets are sold out, but people will be allowed to assemble along the Mall and in front of large screens in St James’s Park.
The Queen will then appear on the palace balcony for a traditional RAF flypast accompanied by Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Cambridges, Wessexes, Gloucesters, Duke of Kent, Princess Anne and her husband and Princess Alexandra.
Buckingham Palace said that after “careful consideration”, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Prince Andrew will not appear on the balcony.
On Thursday evening, 2,000 towns, villages and cities throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and overseas territories will light beacons together as one is lit at Buckingham Palace at 9.45pm.
The ceremony at the palace, attended by various royals, will feature the Queen’s Green Canopy of Trees installation, which reflects the Royal Family’s championing of environmental causes.
Beacons were also lit at Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and the Queen’s Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees in 1977, 2002 and 2012.
Balmoral and Sandringham will be opened to the public throughout the weekend.
Friday 3 June
The next day, a service of thanksgiving for the Queen and her reign will be held in the grand surrounds of St Paul’s Cathedral.
There will be no ceremonial journey to the service, with Her Majesty opting not to scale the steep steps – using an alternative entrance instead.
Before the service starts at 11.30am, Grand Paul, the biggest church bell in the country, will be rung between 10.50am and 10.55am – for only the eighth time since it was restored in 2021.
A reception will be held at the Guildhall afterwards at 12.25pm, which will feature a new anthem by Master of the Queen’s Music Judith Weir. Several members of the Royal Family are due to attend.
Saturday 4 June
At 5.30pm on Saturday the Queen and other senior royals are expected to attend Derby Day at Epsom Downs racecourse in Surrey.
The Derby is the only one of the five flat races the Queen hasn’t won with one of her horses.
There she is due to be greeted with a guard of honour of up to 40 of her past and present jockeys.
Later that day, 22,000 people will attend the Platinum Party at the Palace.
All the tickets have already been allocated, 10,000 to the public and 5,000 specifically for key workers, but it will be broadcast live on the BBC with coverage hosted by Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp. The royals will begin arriving at 7.40pm.
The two-and-a-half-hour concert will start at 8pm and see the return of rock band Queen, whose singer Brian May performed on the roof of Buckingham Palace for the previous Party at the Palace in 2002. They will be accompanied by singer Adam Lambert.
Queen guitarist May commented: “Twenty years after playing the Queen‘s glorious Golden Jubilee we’re very happy to be invited again.
“Then there was a moment when I wondered… after Buckingham Palace roof where can you go? Well… you will see!”
Sir Elton John will feature in a pre-recorded performance, with the stars performing live including Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers and Andrea Bocelli.
Duran Duran, Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow and George Ezra will also be there, as well as the UK’s recent Eurovision star Sam Ryder.
Outside the world of music, national treasures Sir David Attenborough and Stephen Fry will appear alongside US Open winner Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds, Dame Julie Andrews and members of the Royal Ballet.
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has also curated a set of performances to reflect how Britain has changed throughout the Queen’s reign in the fields of fashion, music, sport, and the environment.
They will include a special appearance by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and performances featuring the casts of The Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton, Six, The Lion King and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Sunday 5 June
The bank holiday will culminate in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant – a £15m carnival finale to the Jubilee celebrations.
In the hours beforehand, 85,000 people across the UK will take part in Big Jubilee Lunches, an initiative that began in 2009 to bring communities together.
Charles and Camilla will attend one at the Oval cricket ground in London, alongside 70 “platinum champions” from the Royal Voluntary Service and celebrity ambassadors for the charity.
While at the ground they will get to see a 20ft artistic recreation of a Jubilee lunch made by the artist Lucy Sparrow before it is hung at the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace later this year.
EastEnders fans will also get to see Charles and Camilla attend Albert Square’s Big Jubilee Lunch in a special guest appearance on Friday’s episode.
On Sunday the Earl and Countess of Wessex are invited to a “Long Table” street party along Windsor’s Long Walk with members of the local community.
Then at 2.30pm the pageant begins with the chiming of bells at Westminster Abbey – to mirror the Queen’s coronation.
Along a 3km route from the abbey to Buckingham Palace, an army of 10,000 volunteers, dancers, musicians and members of the military will tell the story of her 70-year reign.
The Gold State Coach, used only for coronations and jubilees and not seen on the streets of London since 2002, will be at the heart of the parade and led by the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry.
Built in 1762, this time the coach will not carry the Queen, but original archive footage of her coronation day projected from each window.
The pageant will be divided into four acts: For Queen and Country, The Time of Our Lives, Let’s Celebrate and Happy and Glorious.
The first will feature a military parade of 1,750 people and 200 horses – one of the biggest spectacles in British history – from the Army, Navy, RAF and the Commonwealth.
The second act is a “vibrant display of British life since 1972” and a celebration of the culture, music and technology of the past 70 years.
From double-decker buses to Daleks, Time of Our Lives will also feature some of James Bond’s most iconic cars and a showcase of fashion from the Teddy Boys to punks and acid house ravers.
Around 150 “national treasures” are taking part, with names including Gary Lineker, Bill Bailey, Alan Titchmarsh, Sir Cliff Richard and Torvill and Dean.
The third section, Let’s Celebrate, will tell the story of the Queen’s life in 12 chapters, with a nod to her corgis and her beloved horses.
At one stage, the Queen will be imagined in her younger days with a 20ft puppet of a youthful princess surrounded by a pack of mischievous puppet corgis.
It will also feature a 21ft-tall puppet dragon with a wingspan as wide as the Mall, while her purple and white coronation robe will be recreated by 80 dancers flanked by twirling “baianas”.
The Queen’s 1947 wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh will be marked by a giant four-tier wedding cake baked by acrobatic cooks on the move.
The cake, which will be followed by Bollywood dancers, will house a sound system playing a medley of Asian music, as a tribute to the coming together of people across the UK and Commonwealth.
The final act will take place in front of the palace around the Queen Victoria Memorial.
There members of the public will be invited to join and sing the national anthem, which will be led by a gospel choir and the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.
Ed Sheeran will end the celebrations with a musical tribute at around 5pm. He said: “I am looking forward to performing in June. I’m proud to be part of the celebration and it’s going to be a great opportunity to bring everyone together.”
