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The Platinum Jubilee Schedule

Your royal guide to the four-day celebration.

For four days, Great Britain celebrates its longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, on her Platinum Jubilee. Here’s all you need to know.

What is the Platinum Jubilee?

On February 6 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. Her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria previously held the title for longest-serving monarch, after being on the throne for 63 years. A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary.

What is the schedule?

Thursday, June 2

Trooping the Colour begins at 10am. Afterwards, members of the royal family will gather on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch a flypast featuring more than 70 RAF, army and Royal Navy aircraft. Just before 1pm an 82-gun salute will be fired in Hyde Park, followed by a 124-gun salute from the Tower of London. At 9.25pm the royal family will assemble outside Buckingham Palace for the lighting of the jubilee beacons.

Friday June 3

A service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign begins at St Paul’s Cathedral at 11.30am, followed by a lord mayor’s reception at the Guildhall, which will be attended by members of the royal family.

Saturday June 4

The Queen, accompanied by members of the royal family, is expected to attend the Derby at Epsom Downs. In the evening, the BBC’s Platinum Party concert will take place in front of Buckingham Palace, featuring stars including Queen, Diana Ross and Duran Duran.

Sunday June 5

Tens of thousands of people have registered to hold Jubilee lunches, with events ranging from garden BBQs to world record attempts for the longest street party. The main event will take place at the Oval in London. At 2.30pm, the Platinum Jubilee Pageant begins, involving 10,000 people showcasing the changes in society over the past 70 years. The procession starts at Parliament Square and makes its way up Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and along the Mall to the palace. The four-act pageant will end with Happy and Glorious, a grand finale featuring 150 “national treasures”.