A beaming Queen Elizabeth waved to cheering crowds massed outside Buckingham Palace on Thursday as Britain kicked off four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate her record-breaking 70 years on the British throne.
Tens of thousands of royal supporters waving flags lined the streets of London for a military parade that marked the start of Platinum Jubilee events. Millions of people across Britain and the world were expected to join street parties, watch the festivities and light beacons in honour of the 96-year-old queen.
Elizabeth, holding a walking stick and wearing a dusky dove blue outfit that she also wore for an official Jubilee photograph released on Thursday, was joined by her son and heir Prince Charles, 73, and other senior royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Elizabeth has been on the throne for longer than any of her predecessors, and is the third-longest reigning monarch ever of a sovereign state.
“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in convening communities, families, neighbours and friends to mark my Platinum Jubilee, in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth,” she said in a statement as the festivities got under way.
“I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last 70 years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm.”
The crowds cheered as the royals watched a fly-past by modern and historic Royal Air Force planes. The queen’s great-grandchildren waved at the planes as they roared past overhead.
Thursday marks not only the start of the Jubilee, but also the 69th anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth, who became queen on the death of her father George VI in February 1952.
In a sign of the monarch’s age and recent “episodic mobility” issues that have led her to cancel some engagements, Elizabeth’s personal involvement in the events will be somewhat limited compared with previous major gatherings.
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