LONDON (CU)_Queen Elizabeth travelled to Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, her Scottish home, last week. Over the recent months, Her Majesty has been forced to cancel several public appearances owing to mobility issues. Now, with a busy few days ahead of her, The Queen visited her Scottish holiday home on Thursday (26 May), before returning to Windsor Castle on Monday.
She was captured being driven into her royal residence in Windsor before festivities begin to mark her 70 years of reign over the upcoming four-day bank holiday. The first event will be the Trooping The Colour on Thursday (2 June), when thousands are expected to gather in central London for the Queen’s Birthday Parade. The 96-year-old monarch ill later appear on the palace balcony, alongside other members of the Royal Family, for a traditional RAF flypast. Meanwhile, 2,000 towns, villages and cities will light beacons together with Buckingham Palace at 9.45pm, on the same day.
A service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral is one of the major events on the agenda, scheduled for Friday, although there will be no ceremonial journey to the service, as Her Majesty would use an alternative entrance instead of scaling the steep steps. The Thanksgiving Service will be followed by a reception in the Guildhall, in Windsor.
Given the Queen’s passion for horse racing, she is expected to make an appearance at Derby Day on Saturday, at Epsom Downs racecourse in Surrey, where she will be greeted with a guard of honour of up to 40 of her past and present jockeys. A Platinum Party is also scheduled to be held at Buckingham Palace later that day with the attendance of 22,000 people. Rock band Queen will open the concert with new front-man Adam Lambert, while the event will also include performances by Sir Elton John, Alicia Keys and Andrea Bocelli.
The festivities will conclude on Sunday with a huge pageant parade in central London. An army of 10,000 dancers, musicians, members of the armed forces and volunteers will tell the story of the monarch’s 70-year reign, along a route connecting Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty will make an appearance on the balcony as the assembled start and the public, led by Ed Sheeran, will sing the national anthem.
