Platinum Jubilee: Festivities to continue with Party at the Palace
GBNews24 Desk//
Diana Ross and George Ezra will headline a star-studded concert later at Buckingham Palace marking the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
The Party at the Palace on Saturday evening will also see Prince Charles and Prince William making speeches to pay tribute to the Queen.
Members of the Royal Family are taking part in celebrations around the UK today – in Cardiff and Belfast.
The Queen is not expected to attend the gig; Coverage starts at 19:30 BST.
The Queen has been experiencing mobility problems in recent months and the palace had warned in advance that the monarch would consider which jubilee events she felt able to attend.
She had to pull out of Friday’s jubilee thanksgiving service after experiencing “discomfort” during Thursday’s events.
She has also not been to the Derby meeting at Epsom on Saturday afternoon and will instead watch the race on TV from Windsor, Buckingham Palace said. But Princess Anne is at the racecourse. She arrived to cheers as part of a procession with her husband and family.
The concert tonight – broadcast live on BBC One – will take place in front of Buckingham Palace, with an expected crowd of about 22,000, plus millions watching on TV.
The line-up also includes Alicia Keys, Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder, Hans Zimmer and Queen and Adam Lambert.
Stars including broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, tennis player Emma Raducanu, former footballer David Beckham and comedian and writer Stephen Fry will also feature, and there will be a specially-recorded performance from Sir Elton John.
Disco legend Nile Rodgers told the BBC he was expecting an “incredibly festive” atmosphere.
“I’ve been playing in the UK since the early 1970s and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the country this happy and zhuzhed up and decorated. I expect the concert to be completely out of control,” he said.
Italian operatic tenor Andrea Bocelli, also performing, said: “The psychological condition when you do one of these performances… is like when a football player has to kick the last penalty – I just hope that after many years of my career, I can manage the pressure!”
The Queen may not be at Epsom but 40 retired and current jockeys who have ridden for her have formed a guard of honour to honour her 70 years on the throne.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe jockeys dressed in her distinctive purple, gold and red racing silks, and the Queen’s Stand will be permanently renamed the Queen Elizabeth II Stand.
Five of the monarch’s former racehorses were also paraded before the day’s racing began.
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