The Queen lit the main jubilee lighthouse at Windsor Castle to celebrate 70 years on the throne.
At the end of the first day of the festivities, the Queen pressed the globe of the Commonwealth of Nations, which sent a river of light from her home at Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace.
Back in London, her grandson, the Duke of Cambridge, watched the Tree Tree sculpture bathe in light.
The special ceremony came when thousands of lighthouses were lit in the United Kingdom, including one in each of the capitals of the British Commonwealth.
The event marked the Queen’s second appearance of the day after she appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Color parade.
Just hours before the lighthouse lighting ceremony, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen would miss Friday’s Thanksgiving service “with great reluctance” after experiencing “some discomfort” during Thursday’s celebrations.
In a statement, the palace said that while the queen “very much enjoyed” her birthday parade, she will not attend the event at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on June 3.
“Given the travel and activities required to participate in tomorrow’s National Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty reluctantly decided not to attend,” the statement said.
(POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Her son, Prince Andrew, will also be absent from the service after testing positive for Covid-19.
The queen is believed to have had occasional mobility problems during Thursday’s daily events. It is also understood that skipping the Friday service was a sensible decision due to the physical requirements that would be required for the service.
The announcement came after she took the center stage of the Trooping the Color parade, where she was surrounded by her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and waved to the crowd.
Thousands of people at The Mall in central London applauded the monarch as she watched a six-minute flight of more than 70 planes.
For the occasion, the queen wore a blue dove coat, in which she posed for her official anniversary portrait, and a hat in line. She was also seen holding a cane.
More than 30 royalty attended her birthday parade, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children.
Prince Harry and his wife Megan watched the event from the major general’s office instead of from the balcony. This week marks the Duchess of Sussex’s first royal appearance in two years since she and her husband resigned in 2020.
The Duke of Sussex last visited London in July 2021 to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana, at Kensington Palace.
Follow our live coverage of the Queen’s platinum anniversary celebrations here.
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