Alicia Keys

Crowds have cheered The Queen as she watched the Trooping The Colour parade from Buckingham Palace at the start of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

In a Jubilee message, The Queen said she was " inspired" by the goodwill of The Nation .

The 96-year-old also appeared on The Balcony with senior members of the Royal Family to view an RAF flypast.

Millions are gearing up for street parties to mark 70 years of her reign, the longest by a British monarch.

The official celebrations began when thousands of people turned out in brilliant sunshine on The Mall for Trooping The Colour , the military parade which marks the monarch's official birthday.

Riding on horseback and wearing the Platinum Jubilee medal with his uniform, The Prince of Wales took The Birthday salute from the troops on behalf of The Queen .

But as The Soldiers marched towards Buckingham Palace at The End of The Parade , The Queen emerged on to The Balcony , accompanied by cheers from The Crowd ,

The Queen , who was using a walking stick, has limited her appearances in recent months due to mobility issues.

More Than 1,500 officers and soldiers along with 350 horses from the Household Division took part in Trooping The Colour , the First Time The Parade has been staged in full since the pandemic.

In a statement ahead of the four-day Bank Holiday weekend, The Queen thanked The Public for organising celebratory events and said " many happy memories" would be made.

" 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 70 years, as we look to The Future With Confidence and enthusiasm, " She Said .

After The Parade , More Than 70 Aircraft - including Spitfires from World War Two, Apache helicopters, Typhoons and the Red Arrows - took part in the flypast over Buckingham Palace . Several jets flew in formation to form The Number 70 in honour of The Queen 's long reign.

Prince Charles , The Duchess of Cornwall, The Princess Royal, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three Children - Prince George , Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - flanked the monarch on The Balcony - the Royal Family 's first gathering there since 2019.

It had been decided only " working royals" would appear, which excluded The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and The Queen 's son, The Duke of York.

Prince Harry and Meghan, who now live in the US, watched Trooping The Colour from a Vantage Point in The Duke of Wellington's former office, overlooking Horse Guards Parade.

They travelled with their Children Archie, three, and Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday. Lilibet is The Queen 's family nickname.

Prince Andrew, did not attend.

The Parade was also briefly interrupted by protestors, claimed to be from Animal Rights and climate campaign group Animal Rebellion. Police arrested several demonstrated as their entered the ceremonial route on The Mall .

On Thursday Evening , More Than 3,000 beacons will be lit across the UK and The Commonwealth in tribute to The Queen , with illuminated outside The Palace .

The Queen is to lead the lighting of The Principal Jubilee beacon in a special ceremony at Windsor Castle , Buckingham Palace said.

The Prince Charles and Camilla will also appear in an episode of TV soap EastEnders, on Bbc One at 19:30 BST. The Royal couple will join The Residents of Albert Square at their Jubilee street party.

At a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday, there will be other accommodations made for The Queen 's comfort, with no ceremonial journey to The Event .

If the monarch does attend, she will use a different entrance rather than scaling The Steps .

And it is not certain she will make the planned trip to Epsom for the Derby on Saturday.

On that Evening , - Set on three stages in front of Buckingham Palace - will see Diana Ross , George Ezra , Alicia Keys and Nile Rodgers entertain a live crowd of 22,000 people and a television audience of millions.

At The Concert , heir to The Throne Prince Charles and his son, The Duke of Cambridge, will pay tribute to The Queen who will be watching on television.

On Sunday there will be street parties, picnics and barbecues across the UK with More Than 85,000 Big Jubilee Lunches planned.

The finale of the weekend will be the Jubilee Pageant which will make its way through The Streets of the capital with a cast of 6,000 performers and close to 200 celebrities.

It will end with Ed Sheeran singing The National anthem with a choir made up of " national treasures" outside Buckingham Palace .

Source of news: bbc.com