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How to watch – or avoid – the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations

02 Jun 2022 5 minute read
Crowds on The Mall near Buckingham Palace, London. Picture by James Manning / PA Wire

Whether you’re a die-hard monarchist or an equally passionate republican who can’t stomach the whole Royal jamboree, you’re going to want to know when everything is on so that you can watch it – or avoid it completely.

Here is a rundown of what will happen as the Queen celebrates 70 years on the throne during the Platinum Jubilee weekend, and where to watch on television, be present at events, or decide it’s safer to fire up Netflix or hide indoors instead.

The main events set to take place in Wales are the lighting of the beacon on Snowdon on Thursday and William and Kate’s visit to Cardiff Castle on Saturday.

Thursday June 2

10am – The Queen’s Birthday Parade – Trooping the Colour – begins. Coverage is on BBC One, presented by Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young and JJ Chalmers.

10.30am – Members of the royal family leave Buckingham Palace in carriages for Horse Guards Parade, where Harry and Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will also gather to watch the ceremony.

The military procession will be followed by a balcony appearance by the Queen, if she is well enough, plus assorted royals including the Cambridge children, to watch a special flypast.

9.25pm – Members of the royal family arrive for the lighting of the principal beacon – a 21-metre Tree of Trees sculpture at the Palace.

The Queen will be at Windsor and the Duke of Cambridge in London for the dual ceremony. Kirsty Young introduces coverage from 8pm on BBC One, with Jermaine Jenas at Buckingham Palace, Carol Kirkwood in Scotland, and Holly Hamilton in Northern Ireland. Gethin Jones will appear from Wales.

More than 3,500 beacons are being lit across the UK and the Commonwealth, including one on top of yr Wyddfa. Walking With The Wounded will also light beacons on top of the three other highest peaks of the UK – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Slieve Donard.

Friday June 3

From 9.15am on BBC One, Sophie Raworth meets many of the people taking part in a service of thanksgiving, while from the BBC’s Platinum Jubilee Studio at St James’ Park, Kirsty Young is joined by guests.

11am – The royal family begin to arrive for a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral.

11.30am – The service begins, broadcast on BBC One with commentary from David Dimbleby inside St Paul’s.

12.25pm – Members of the royal family attend a Guildhall reception hosted by the Lord Mayor.

Saturday June 4

Senior royals tour the UK, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visiting Cardiff Castle.

William and Kate will meet the crew behind the event at Cardiff Castle, learning about the lighting, sound and visual effects for the show before helping with the final preparations.

The couple will also watch rehearsals and meet Aled Jones and Shan Cothi, both hosting the show which will feature Mike Peters from The Alarm, singer Bonnie Tyler, West End star John Owen Jones, drumming weatherman Owain Wyn Evans and Pendyrus Male Voice Choir.

The performances will finish at 7pm and the crowds can then watch the Platinum Party at the Palace on giant screens in the castle grounds.

4.30pm – The Epsom Derby takes place. Avid racegoer the Queen is no longer planning to attend, although members of the royal family are expected to be there. Ed Chamberlin presents racing coverage on ITV from 12.40pm.

A guard of honour, made of up to 40 of the Queen’s past and present jockeys, is due to line the course.

7.40pm – Royals arrive at the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert. Coverage begins on BBC One from 7.30pm with Kirsty Young in St James’s Park, and Roman Kemp backstage.

8pm-10.30pm – The open-air show in front of the palace, features stars including Queen (not that one), Alicia Keys, Duran Duran and Diana Ross.

Sunday June 5

Street parties and Big Jubilee Lunches will be staged in some communities.

Coverage begins on BBC One from 1pm with commentary from Clare Balding, while Kirsty Young, AJ Odudu, Anita Rani, Anton Du Beke, Sophie Morgan and Owain Wyn Evans report on street parties across the UK.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall join a feast at The Oval cricket ground in south London, while Edward and Sophie meet people creating a ‘Long Table’ down on The Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle.

2.30pm-5pm – The Jubilee Pageant takes place in central London, with a 3km carnival procession featuring a large cast including puppets – including a red dragon of Wales – celebrities and tributes to the seven decades of the Queen’s reign.

It will move from Horse Guards, along Whitehall to Admiralty Arch, and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

The finale will feature Ed Sheeran performing and singing God Save the Queen with close to 200 celebrities in front of the Queen’s official residence.

The Queen will make a balcony appearance if well enough as the festivities come to a close.

At 8pm on BBC Two, if you want to relive it all again, Kirsty Young looks back at the weekend of patriotic fervour. If you’re a republican, you can take the earplugs out and safely watch TV live again when coverage ends at 9.30pm.


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The Original Mark
The Original Mark
1 year ago

Tim Nice but Dim, Nowhere in her many titles does the word Wales appear, and you don’t have to be a nationalist or separatist or any other word you care to use, to not be a fanboy of the monarch. Now stop reading the daily mail, get off your knees and wake up, abolish the monarchy! Britain’s biggest and longest running crime family and with that I’m off to work.

Tim
Tim
1 year ago

Have to say I’m not a fan of the mail, I don’t read any newspapers to be honest, but If i did read the mail it would be on par with this news site for questionable headlines.

I’m off to my family BBQ, we’re celebrating the queen today. Have a good one and I hope you find at least something to do in Ceredigion tonight while Wales celebrates?

Aled Rees
Aled Rees
1 year ago

Dear god it’s going to be a long,long weekend.
Dear Tim open your eyes and yes get off your knees man.

Tim
Tim
1 year ago
Reply to  Aled Rees

Already awake. Got the family bbq to prep for.

Llewz!
Llewz!
1 year ago
Reply to  Tim

Tragic.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago
Reply to  Tim

Not a good idea resorting to cannibalism.

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago

Rest assured your gibberish will be lifting every Welsh nats spirits tim – comedy gold 🤣

Tim
Tim
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

Glad you enjoyed. Like I said, quiet and miserable weekend in Gwynedd!

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago
Gareth
Gareth
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

And Boris, who isn’t English, and through heritage neither is your old Queenie.

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

A racist as well as a forelock tugger? Very disappointed in you Tim ☹️

Last edited 1 year ago by Leigh Richards
Tim
Tim
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

Would love to know how you arrived at that conclusion.

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago
Reply to  Tim

Youre attacking people for their place of origin ☹️

Tim
Tim
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

Firstly, that is not racism.

Secondly, it never seems to be a problem when it comes to second homes and who caused the brexit vote in wales (which I voted remain in btw, reluctantly, but remain).

Dai Rob
Dai Rob
1 year ago

Happy to say that I’m going to the 3 day Music Festival in Port Talbot this weekend, so gonna miss the whole fcuking thing!!

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago
Reply to  Dai Rob

Great news! Hope you enjoy the music. I myself have arranged for someone to slowly scratch a chalkboard with their nails, which is what more preferable than this jubilee junket.

George
George
1 year ago

I’m going to treat it like a music festival dedicated to a style of music I have no interest in. It becomes a problem if they’re telling me I should be interested or that everyone is interested, or ignore that there are some controversies within that music culture, but otherwise let them crack on and enjoy themselves.

There needs to be room for people feeling Welsh and British – a completely separate breed to those Welsh wanting to be English/British not Welsh.

Last edited 1 year ago by George
Lebowski
Lebowski
1 year ago

Tim I’d smack you silly myself

Tim
Tim
1 year ago
Reply to  Lebowski

For?

Alan Jones
Alan Jones
1 year ago

Have the backpack & tent all packed & ready, I’m off to Y Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog for a few days to escape the drooling forlock tugging nonsense. Looking at some backpacker/hiking forums I have a feeling I won’t be alone up there but amongst like minded people making the great escape😎.

Tim
Tim
1 year ago
Reply to  Alan Jones

There’s still opportunity for forlock tugging on the BBC wales facebook comments.

Foad
Foad
1 year ago
Reply to  Alan Jones

Unfortunately the butchers aprons are out in force in the BBNP, not a hint of red, white and green 🤦‍♂️

Sophie
Sophie
1 year ago

Haha love the queen. Enjoyable to watch extreme welsh nats squeal.

John Williams
John Williams
1 year ago

Definitely time for a lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
1 year ago

I think I might watch ‘Les Miserables’ instead, get the feel for a royalty free Cymru of the future.

Argol fawr!
Argol fawr!
1 year ago

🤴🏻=😱🙈🙉 = 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴‍☠️

Argol fawr!
Argol fawr!
1 year ago
Reply to  Argol fawr!

Apparently, there’s going to be a beacon lit on Wyddfa…. Lets hope for low cloud…. and they take it all away afterwards.

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Argol fawr!

They should clean up after themselves too unlike most of the others that infest the place this time of year. Or are they relying on “someone else” to do the cleaning up ?

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

Tomorrow I will be avoiding the Jubilee like a vampire would sunlight. Nausiating is an understatement. I’d rather be a citizen than a subject anyday.

#YesCymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿. #Ymlaen 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Philip Jones
Philip Jones
1 year ago

Thank heavens for Netflix, Amazon and Spotify.

Johnny Gamble
Johnny Gamble
1 year ago

Then why on Earth haven’t alternative events been organised in Cymru? Even in Bristol at least 3 alternative events have been organised.Food for thought shouldn’t YesCymru have organised Banners on The Bridge events for this weekend!
There is the World Cup Qualifier on Sunday and if people are concerned about the number of Union Flags everywhere then Display The Dewi Sant,Y Baner Glyndwr or Y Draig Goch ready for Sunday.

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