Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Final preparations under way ahead of historic celebrations for monarch’s 70-year reign | UK News

Princess Eugenie has paid a personal tribute to her “grannie” the Queen as the final preparations are being put in place for the monarch’s historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

All around the country, Union flag bunting is being hung up and table cloths pressed for street parties, military parades are being drilled to perfection, and tents are already set up by well-wishers along The Mall in London.

Scarecrows of the Queen have even been popping up in a Herefordshire village as locals compete for the best Jubilee display.

But such is the momentous nature of the Queen’s 70 years on the throne that millions of people across the country are gearing up to mark the occasion during the special extended bank holiday weekend.

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In an article in The Spectator magazine, Eugenie said she hoped her one-year-old son August would grow to have the Queen’s “patience, her calmness and her kindness while always being able to laugh at himself and keep a twinkle in his eye”.

She said the nation’s longest-reigning monarch has transcended time and been “a constant rock for so many”.

The princess was seen attending London’s V&A Museum to view its Platinum Jubilee emblem competition winning entry and runners-up.

The competition to design an emblem for the Jubilee was open to young people from all over the UK and was won by 19-year-old Edward Roberts, a graphic design student from Nottinghamshire.

At RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, Royal Air Force personnel were seen preparing for their role in the Jubilee Pageant, marching with rifles.

The military will once again be playing a significant role in the Jubilee celebrations, including a flypast of more than 70 aircraft including the Red Arrows and Second World War planes.

Read more: Programme of events for Her Majesty’s 70th year on the throne revealed

In Highgrove, Gloucestershire celebrations were already under way at a Jubilee tea dance hosted by The Prince’s Foundation.

Prince Charles took to the dance floor, and was joined by Jools Holland, Ruby Turner and Patrick Grant.

Along The Mall in London, eager royal fans have been gathering ahead of the bank holiday weekend’s festivities, many already camping out to make sure they get a good view.