The Queen thrills crowds with appearance on Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of Platinum Jubilee weekend | UK News

The Queen has appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at the climax of four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Her Majesty thrilled thousands of well-wishers outside the royal residence in central London as she waved to the cheering crowds and the commemorations over the extended bank holiday weekend drew to a close.

The 96-year-old monarch stood with Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at the finale of an hours-long street pageant.

The head of state looked at ease on the balcony as she leaned on her stick, now a routine aid following her mobility issues.

Queen and royals appear on Buckingham Palace balcony – live jubilee updates

The national anthem was then played, as celebrities including Sir David Jason, Harry Redknapp, Sir Cliff Richard, Sandie Shaw and Felicity Kendal joined in a mass rendition of God Save The Queen.

Around 10,000 people, including a cast of 6,000 performers and an array of stars, earlier took part in a 3km pageant from the Palace of Westminster, along Whitehall to Admiralty Arch and down The Mall to the palace and then St James’s Park.

The parade told the story of her life, and the nation, with an eccentric, fun and imaginative carnival-like display, which included a hologram of the monarch waving in the same Gold State Coach which had taken her to and from her coronation in 1953.

After the pageant was over, thousands of members of the public were allowed to walk up The Mall to outside the Queen’s official London residence, where they were treated to a much-anticipated second balcony appearance by the monarch, as well as music from Ed Sheeran.

Members of the Royal Family sat in the royal box to watch the pageant but the Queen was only seen later in the day.

Prince William and Kate tweeted their appreciation of today’s London event, writing: “Amazing display of street art, theatre, music, sport and more… What a joyous occasion at the #PlatinumJubilee pageant!”

Meanwhile, millions of people across the UK gathered for patriotic street parties, picnics and barbecues, with more than 85,000 Big Jubilee Lunches held to mark her 70 years on the throne.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall attended one of the lunches, where they were joined by around 500 other guests for the flagship feast at The Oval cricket ground in south London.

Her Majesty was last seen in public on Thursday as she lit a beacon at Windsor Castle on the first day of the celebrations.

Earlier that day she was seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch a military flypast, joined by other working royals.

The Queen was unable to attend Friday’s thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral and also the Epsom Derby on Saturday due to her mobility problems.

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She watched Saturday night’s Platinum Party at the Palace from Windsor Castle.

But she also played a starring role, appearing at the beginning of the party coverage in a pre-recorded comic sketch with Paddington Bear, where she revealed, like the furry character, she is partial to a marmalade sandwich.

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During the party outside Buckingham Palace, the monarch received affectionate tributes from the Prince of Wales and national figures, and there was music from the likes of Sir Rod Stewart, Diana Ross and Duran Duran.