Charles and Camilla take part in Big Jubilee Lunch as millions across UK set to celebrate Queen’s 70-year reign
by 0 by 0 Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended a Big Jubilee Lunch on the final day of celebrations marking the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
Millions of people across the UK are set to take part in patriotic street parties, picnics and barbecues on day four of the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
The monarch‘s eldest son and Camilla joined people at The Oval cricket ground in south London.
And the Earl and Countess of Wessex were due to meet people creating the “Long Table” down on The Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle.
George, Charlotte and Louis bake cake for street party – Jubilee live updates
More than 85,000 “Big Jubilee Lunches”, of which Camilla is patron, were expected to be held – an initiative that began in 2009 to bring communities together.
Read more: Fancy going to a Jubilee street party? Fine one near you using our interactive map
This afternoon there will be a colourful street pageant in central London, with around 10,000 people taking part, including a cast of 6,000 performers.
The three-kilometre parade begins outside the Palace of Westminster at 2.30pm and will be led by the Gold State Coach – a 260-year-old carriage that carried the Queen to and from her coronation in 1953.
The 96-year-old monarch will not take part in the pageant due to mobility issues, but archival footage of her will be broadcast at the coach’s windows. And royal fans will be hoping she makes an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony later in the day.
The procession will head through Whitehall, before taking a turn at Trafalgar Square and through Admiralty Arch.
It will travel towards the Queen Victoria Monument outside Buckingham Palace, turning on to Birdcage Walk and along St James’s Park.
What will you be doing?
Please share photos of your Jubilee street party or other events taking place today: Tap here and send us your name and details of where the event is taking place and we’ll feature some of your submissions in our coverage.
What to expect during the pageant
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 culture, music, and technology of the past 70 years.
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.
The Queen will be depicted 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 final act will take place in front of the palace around the Queen Victoria Memorial.
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.
Which famous faces will star?
Ed Sheeran will end the celebrations with a musical tribute at around 5pm.
Sheeran wrote on Instagram that past celebrations inspired his musical career, saying: “Twenty years ago I decided I wanted to pick up a guitar because I watched the Golden Jubilee on tv, saw Eric Clapton play Layla and said ‘that’s what I wanna do’.
“Ten years later I played The A Team at the Diamond Jubilee, and now 10 years on I’m playing the Platinum Jubilee this Sunday.
“Life is weird how it keeps coming full circle in lovely ways. Tune in on Sunday and see ya there x.”
Read more: Catch up on key moments from Saturday’s Jubilee party
Other celebrities taking part include Sir Cliff Richard, Jeremy Irons, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Gary Lineker, Rosie Jones, Kadeena Cox, Alan Titchmarsh, Heston Blumenthal, James Martin, Bill Bailey and Gok Wan.
