Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee will be marked in the U.K. with a wide range of events spread across a long weekend, as the nation celebrates the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.
Here is how you can watch and live stream the celebrations from the U.S.
When Are The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations Taking Place?
The celebrations will be spread across the U.K.’s four-day bank holiday (national holiday) weekend from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5.
Although the Queen officially marked seven decades on the throne on February 6, 2022, the historic milestone will be celebrated during the long weekend, with events including the annual Trooping the Colour parade, a special Jubilee flypast over Buckingham Palace, and the central celebration—the Platinum Party at the Palace concert.
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning British monarch and overtook Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years, in September 2015.
How To Watch the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations From The U.S.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend will be covered in the U.K. by television channels BBC One and ITV One, and their respective online streaming websites BBC iPlayer and the ITV Hub.
The events can be watched from the U.S. and elsewhere abroad with the help of a VPN (virtual private network), which allows users to surf the internet anonymously.
By connecting to a U.K. server, users will be able to access the streaming platforms by creating an account with an email address.
The Royal Family’s official social media accounts have been teasing what the public can expect from the weekend celebrations, and the teams behind the accounts are likely to share snippets of the events as they happen.
Here are several royal Instagram accounts that are worth following to keep up with the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations online:
The Royal Family: @theroyalfamily, Kensington Royal, @kensingtonroyal, Clarence House, @clarencehouse, and Princess Eugenie, @princesseugenie.
What Are The Key Events Taking Place For The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?
Thursday, June 2
Trooping of the Colour
The queen’s Birthday Parade will begin at 11 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET), with a Royal Gun Salute, the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and more than 1200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division putting on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade.
According to the Royal Family’s official website, the event will be broadcast live on BBC and Sky television, both in the U.K. and abroad.
Platinum Jubilee Flypast
The royal family will make a palace balcony appearance, which will coincide with a “flypast” performed by the Royal Air Force. This year, only those who undertake official engagements on behalf of the queen have been invited to stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Jubilee Beacons
The event continues the U.K.’s long-held tradition of lighting beacons to celebrate Royal Jubilees, Weddings, and Coronations.
Beginning with a beacon outside Buckingham Palace, more than 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the U.K., Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and U.K. Overseas Territories at 9 p.m. GMT (5 p.m. ET).
Friday, June 3
Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral
The thanksgiving service will see the nation’s largest church bell, the recently refurbished bell “Great Paul” rung for the first time for a royal occasion.
The queen’s attendance for the service will not be confirmed until that day. The exact timing of the service has yet to be confirmed.
Saturday, June 4
The Epsom Derby
The queen is set to attend the Derby at Epsom Downs alongside other members of the royal family. It is one of Britain’s biggest horse racing events, and stalls are expected open at 4:30 p.m. GMT (12:30 p.m. ET). The event will be broadcast live on ITV1.
Platinum Party at the Palace Concert
The timing of the Platinum Party at the Palace is yet to be confirmed, but is expected to begin mid-evening U.K. time, and end two and a half hours later.
The highly anticipated spectacle at the Buckingham Palace will air live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and across the BBC network, and brings together a star-studded guest list, with performers expected to include Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow, George Ezra, Duran Duran, and Andrea Bocelli.
David Attenborough, David Beckham, Stephen Fry, and Julie Andrews are also expected to make guest appearances.
The show will be closed by Diana Ross, with her first U.K. live performance in 15 years.
“I have had the honor of meeting The Queen many times throughout my life, including when I was with my family,” said Ross.
“Her Majesty has and continues to be such an incredible inspiration to so many across the world and I was absolutely delighted to receive an invitation to perform on such a momentous and historic occasion.”
Sunday, June 5
The Big Jubilee Lunch
More than 10 million people across the U.K. are expected to join the Big Jubilee Lunch street celebrations and share a meal to mark the queen’s seven-decade reign.
Platinum Jubilee Pageant
Closing off the weekend of jubilee celebrations, the event will showcase highlights from the monarch’s 70-year reign, and will combine street arts, theater, music, circus, carnival, and costume to pay tribute to the queen.
The event will be aired on BBC One and iPlayer, and up to a billion viewers worldwide are expected to tune in to watch the pageant.
An exact time for the pageant hasn’t yet been disclosed.
