As large street festivities continued into the night on Thursday, jubilant revellers raised a glass to the Queen for her Platinum Jubilee, before hundreds are expected to pack the pubs as they make the most of the four-day weekend.
Throughout the country, inebriated Britons threw huge parties fit for a Queen, building metres-long tables in the middle of crowded streets to commemorate the Jubilee.
Photographs showed ecstatic revellers raising a glass to Her Majesty and adorning their streets and homes with Union Jack bunting and decorations as they went all out to commemorate the event.
And the raucous festivities showed no signs of slowing down as the fun-filled parties continued into the evening as residents soaked up the sun and made the most of the four-day weekend.
Around 200 residents in the village of Little Shelford in Cambridgeshire enjoyed a tea party on a 60-metre-long table outside the village hall on Thursday, with most of the residents flocking out to join the festivities.
In Manchester’s Canal Street, the entire street was covered in Union Jacks and red, white and blue bunting, which were hung from the trees to the bars just above those sat enjoying a bank holiday beverage.
Nell Gwynn’s tearoom in Windsor had a special painting of the Queen placed front and centre in the shop front window, surrounded by some Platinum Jubilee bunting.
And around 500 people took to Middleton Street in Llandrindod, Wales, for a Platinum Jubilee street party, with attendees wearing party hats with Union Jacks on them to mark the occasion.
Elsewhere, more eager revellers packed out parks on Thursday afternoon as they got ready to flock to pubs and bars to continue the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations into the night.
Photographs showed boozy Britons covered head-to-toe in Union Jack memorabilia as they set up picnics in jam-packed parks to enjoy the glorious sunshine and celebrate the Queen’s milestone achievement.
London’s St James’ Park near Buckingham Palace was filled with groups of revellers after the Trooping the Colour ceremony took place in central London in the morning followed by the Red Arrows display, which flew over the Queen’s residence.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee has led the nation to throw a four-day party fit for a royal, with families, schools, and entire towns coming together to rejoice in celebrating the British monarch.
This morning’s official celebrations kicked off with the Queen’s Birthday Parade, led by Prince Charles and accompanied by Prince William and Anne, Princess Royal on horseback, where the heir has inspected the troops of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards along with more than 1,500 officers and soldiers from the Household Division.
Her Majesty has made one of two appearances on the Buckingham Palace Balcony today, to watch the RAF flypast, which will saw some 71 aircraft soar over The Mall in a historic display featuring Spitfires, Red Arrow Hawks and a Lancaster bomber. The Red Arrows displayed the number 70 in a jaw-dropping formation for Her Majesty.
The show featured more than three times the number of aircraft which took part in the Queen’s last birthday parade flypast in central London in 2019.
The fleet took off from military bases around the UK before joining holding patterns around the south-east of England.
Then flew directly down the length of The Mall and over Buckingham Palace – to the delight of the Royal Family and the thousands of watching fans.
Some 18 royal family members watched on from the balcony including: The Queen; Charles and Camilla; William and Kate with George, Charlotte and Louis; Edward and Sophie and their children Louise and James; Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence; the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of York did not make an appearance on the balcony. Prince Andrew has tested positive for Covid so will not be ale to attend the thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral tomorrow.
This morning, the Queen sent a car and security detail to collect the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their two young children, Archie, three, and Lilibet, who will turn one on Saturday, after their private jet landed at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire from on Wednesday.
Her Majesty’s Land Rover greeted the family, who live in California, and their children at before taking them on a 40-minute drive to their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, just a stone’s throw away from Windsor Castle.
After today’s events, the monarch is also hoping to be able attend the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, with her wider family.
Outdoor parties will also take place on Sunday as part of the Big Jubilee Lunch, while there will be a televised concert on the BBC from Buckingham Palace the day before.
It is also expected that she will appear again on the balcony after the Pageant parade finale on Sunday.
The Queen, 96, is also set to spend time with the Sussexes, who are bringing their children Archie and Lilibet over from the US – and could meet Lili for the first time as she celebrates her first birthday on Saturday.
On Sunday, thousands of people will gather across the country as more than 85,000 Big Jubilee Lunches and street parties are staged in celebration of the Queen’s record-breaking 70 year reign.
Royal family members will also visit every corner of the UK over the weekend for official engagements – with William and Kate going to Wales; Edward and Sophie travelling to Northern Ireland; and Anne to Scotland.