Platinum Jubilee: Queen ‘humbled and touched’ by celebrations

The Queen has appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as long weekend of Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking her 70-year reign draws to a close.

Flanked by three generations of her family, the Queen smiled and waved as a huge crowd sang the national anthem.

Her appearance rounds off a huge star-studded Jubilee pageant along The Mall which saw carnival floats celebrating the seven decades of her reign.

Jubilee parties and street lunches have also been held across the UK.

The pageant began with a military parade with personnel from the UK’s armed forces and from across the Commonwealth.

The 260-year-old Gold State Coach which carried the Queen, who is 96, to her coronation in 1953 rode through the streets, with the Queen appearing as a hologram inside.

As the floats made their way past during the two hour show, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George – the next three generations of monarchs – all watched from the royal box.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge later tweeted: “Amazing display of street art, theatre, music, sport and more… what a joyous occasion!”

The military section was followed by colourful open-top double-decker buses depicting the different decades of the Queen’s reign – with a host of celebrities representing achievements in music, fashion and the arts aboard each one.

There was a peloton of 300 cyclists on bikes of all shapes and sizes, led by the Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy, and a parade of vintage cars that saw a fleet of Morris Minors in various vivid colours drive up The Mall.

TV personalities, musicians, chefs, sportspeople, designers, and artists who have helped shape British culture of the last 70 years took part.

The 1970s section saw a massive rainbow flag carried up The Mall, and an Abba float.

The Trotters’ Robin Reliant from sitcom Only Fools and Horses and people dressed as video game character PacMan illustrated the 80s, while the 90s saw Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss dancing on a bus.

Fashion consultant Gok Wan and celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal were among those representing the 2000s, along with Sir Mo Farah and Dame Kelly Holmes.

TV personality Holly Willoughby described the Queen as the “most incredible, amazing iconic lady” as she rode on the bus representing the 2010s.

The pageant then saw street theatre acts and urban dance from groups across the UK.

A number of enormous animal puppets depicting swans, a bull, snakes, ravens and a rainbow peacock then moved along the route.

Next came a big Bollywood wedding party, with dancers parading an enormous tiered cake topped with a number of corgis.

Puppets of African animals – including elephants, giraffes and flamingos brought a tropical feel and the Notting Hill section saw colourful flowers, drummers and acrobatics.

The show ended with a performance from Ed Sheeran, and the mass rendition of the national anthem.

However, a planned flypast by the Red Arrows had to be been cancelled due to poor weather.

The event rounds off a long weekend of celebrations across the UK.

Saturday night saw affectionate tributes from the Prince of Wales and national figures during the evening’s Platinum Party at the Palace.

Stars including Diana Ross, George Ezra, Queen and Elbow performed in front of a crowd of about 22,000, and an average of nearly 12 million people in the UK watched the show on BBC One.

The Queen, who has been experiencing mobility problems in recent months, was not able to attend the event herself.

But she kicked off the event with a pre-filmed comedy sketch showing her sharing a pot of tea with Paddington Bear, where they both confessed to carrying around a marmalade sandwich.

The Platinum Jubilee events began on Thursday, with Trooping the Colour – at which the Queen also appeared on the balcony.

There was a service of thanksgiving on Friday, which she was unable to attend because of discomfort she felt on Thursday.

She had to cancel her appearance at the Epsom Derby on Saturday for the same reason.

Away from Buckingham Palace, some 10 million people have been holding Big Jubilee Lunches, picnics and barbecues, across the UK.

Charles and Camilla began the day by meeting guests at a street party in south London amid tables strung with union jack bunting and laden with cakes.