Roaring crowds cheered the Queen as she joined other royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the first of four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Thousands flooded The Mall, waving flags in the brilliant sunshine to celebrate the Queen’s 70-year reign.
The 96-year-old watched a flypast with 17 other royals and was immediately flanked by Prince Charles and four-year old great-grandson Prince Louis.
The Queen looked delighted as she and Prince Louis chatted during the event.
But the noise of the 70-aircraft flypast was too much for the young prince, who was pictured covering his ears and tightly shutting his eyes.
The parade marked the start of a long bank holiday weekend of events celebrating the Queen’s reign – the longest by a British monarch.
Riding on horseback and wearing the Platinum Jubilee medal with his uniform, the Prince of Wales inspected the troops in his mother’s place.
The Queen, who was using a walking stick, has limited her appearances in recent months due to mobility issues.
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.
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESMore 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.
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
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERSPrince 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 Sussex, and the Queen’s son, the Duke of York.
Prince Andrew, whose royal titles were returned to the Crown amid a lawsuit in the US, did not attend. He had been due to attend Friday’s thanksgiving service, but on Thursday afternoon Buckingham Palace said he would miss it as he had tested positive for Covid.
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 family nickname for the Queen.
IMAGE SOURCE, KELVIN BRUCE
IMAGE SOURCE, KELVIN BRUCE