Blair Gordon

The Archbishop of York praised The Queen 's " Service and faithfulness" as royals joined 400 members of The Public for a thanksgiving Service .

" Thank You for staying The Course , " said Archbishop Stephen Cottrell in his sermon at St Paul 's Cathedral.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined The Prince of Wales and the Cambridges for their first major event since stepping back from royal duties.

The Queen , 96, watched the Platinum Jubilee Service at Windsor Castle .

Her decision to miss The Service came after the monarch experienced " discomfort" during Thursday's events, Buckingham Palace said.

Meanwhile, Prince Andrew was forced to withdraw from attendance at The Service .

As they arrived in St Paul 's Churchyard, Prince Harry and Meghan received a huge cheer from The Crowd , after being largely hidden from public view on Thursday.

NHS workers, honours recipients, public servants and charity representatives were among those attending The Service - part of four days of events marking The Queen 's unprecedented 70-year reign.

Notable guests included Prime Minister Boris Johnson , who arrived to boos and cheers, and his wife, Carrie.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer , and former Prime Ministers , John Major , Tony Blair , Gordon Brown , David Cameron and Theresa May were there. Leaders of the UK's devolved administrations were also in attendance.

Mr Johnson gave a reading from St Paul 's Epistle to the Philippians in the New Testament , beginning: " Rejoice in The Lord always".

The sermon was given by the Archbishop of York after Justin Welby , the Archbishop of Canterbury, tested positive for coronavirus last week.

Referencing The Queen 's love of Horse Racing and Saturday's Epsom Derby which will, Mr Cottrell praised the monarch's endurance over her reign.

He Said : " Your Majesty, we're sorry you're not With Us This Morning In Person , but you are still in The Saddle . And We Are all glad that there is still more to come.

" So, Thank You for staying The Course . Thank You for continuing to be faithful to the pledges you made 70 years ago. Thank You for showing us how Service and faithfulness matter. People of all faiths and none can learn from this. "

He Said the Platinum Jubilee was a time of " great rejoicing" which took place against a backdrop of " such suffering and uncertainty in our world".

But He Said The Queen was an example of leaders who serve the common good with " a staunch constancy and a steadfast consistency; a faithfulness to God, an obedience to a vocation that is the bedrock of her life".

After The Service , the largest church bell in the UK - the 16-tonne Great Paul - began ringing continuously for four hours.

Several royals and other guests went on to attend a reception at London's Guildhall.

As well as marking her Service to church and country, Friday's event at St Paul 's was also intended to pay tribute to The Queen 's efforts to foster unity among all communities.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis , who attended and who wrote a prayer for The Queen , told The Bbc her interest in the faiths of others went beyond duty,

" She has genuine care, genuine interest and wants The Best - certainly for our faith and for all faiths, " He Said .

Thousands of people gathered in Central London on Thursday for the traditional Trooping The Colour ceremony.

The Queen later illuminated a globe at Windsor Castle that coincided with the lighting of thousands of beacons across the UK and The Commonwealth .

Prince Andrew's infection was picked up during routine testing, Buckingham Palace said, meaning he would miss the St Paul 's Service " with regret".

The Queen has previously spoken of mobility problems and The Palace confirmed ahead of the Jubilee the monarch would consider The Events she felt able to attend during the four-day celebration.

Source of news: bbc.com