Queen’s Platinum Jubilee latest LIVE: Queen had ‘lovely day’ but ‘found it tiring’, says Kate

The Queen had a “lovely” time at Thursday’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations but found the day “very tiring”, the Duchess of Cambridge is said to have told an attendee at a Guildhall reception.

Gill Smallwood from Bolton spoke with Kate on Friday after a service of thanksgiving at the nearby St Paul’s Cathedral.

Ms Smallwood said she had asked Kate how the Queen was doing.

She told the PA news agency: “She (Kate) said, ‘yes, she was fine, it was just very tiring yesterday, and she (the Queen) had had a lovely, lovely time’.”

She said Kate told her that Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte also “had a lovely time” at Thursday’s celebrations, during which all three Cambridge children appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for a flypast.

Platinum Jubilee 2022: National Service of Thanksgiving

The Queen will not attend the Epsom Derby on Saturday but is expected to watch the sporting event on television at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

It comes after Her Majesty was unable to attend the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday due to mobility issues.

Bishop ‘excited’ ahead of thanksgiving service

07:59 , Sami Quadri

The Bishop of London has said she is “excited” ahead of the thanksgiving service for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, who will be leading the blessing at St Paul’s, told BBC Breakfast: “I’m excited, I think.”

She added that she was nervous about the ceremonial regalia she needs to wear.

“It’s a coat called the George V coat. It’s quite an old coat, which is a cape and it sits on me, but of course it was designed for men because I’m the first woman who happens to be the Bishop of London,” she said.

“So, it doesn’t sit quite as well on me, so I’m slightly nervous.”

She said that Her Majesty’s Christian faith has “always shaped her” and she feels privileged to play a part in the service and “give thanks” to The Queen for her service to the country.

The Servce of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral today.

Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will be rung before the service and a new anthem by Judith Weir, Master of The Queen’s Music, will be unveiled.

Who will attend the Queen’s thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral?

08:02 , Sami Quadri

Many of the most prominent royals will attend the service, including Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

It is also thought that Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will attend their first royal event together since leaving the UK.

However, the Queen herselfwill not be attending the service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday morning, Buckingham Palace has said.

The Palace said the decision was made after Her Majesty experienced some discomfort after the parade marking the start of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Thursday.

‘Platinum Jubilee: A Service of Thanksgiving’ will air at 9.15am on BBC One today. The Royal Family are expected to arrive from around 11am.

Prince Andrew is set to miss the Jubilee service of thanksgiving after testing positive for Covid.

New mural of Queen Elizabeth II painted on a wall in Moreton

08:04 , Sami Quadri

Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘want to be as low key as possible’

08:19 , Matt Watts

A royal commentator has said that Meghan and Harry hope to be as “low-profile as possible” during their trip to the UK for The Platinum Jubilee.

Omid Scobie, author of Finding Freedom, told BBC Breakfast: “I spoke with people close to the couple… who said that they want to be as low-profile as possible during this trip.

“It’s almost hard to believe, but I think yesterday Trooping the Colour was a great example. We didn’t really catch sight of them on TV cameras.”

He added that the couple hold a “warm and close” relationship with The Queen.

He also spoke about Lilibet’s upcoming first birthday on Saturday.

He said: “Those moments with Lilibet are very much private between them and the Queen” and that last evening at Windsor would have been the first time Her Majesty would have met her namesake in person.

The Duke And Duchess were spotted watching the Trooping of the Colour on Thursday.

Dean ‘nervous’ about Jubilee thanksgiving service

08:52 , Matt Watts

The Dean of St Paul’s has said today’s thanksgiving service represents the nation “picking up the baton” from The Queen as a thank you for her years of service.

The Very Revd Dr David Ison told BBC Breakfast: “I think, for me, what this service is about, is saying not only thank you, but also we are picking up the baton of what The Queen has done. We ourselves are committing to how we can make the world a better place.”

He said of the service: “I always get nervous. You can’t help it because you want it to go well and therefore you’re nervous to make sure it does goes well and worried about what might go wrong.”

He also spoke about an incident during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee when his cape ripped.

“I put on my cape and I was bounding down the stairs of the vestry and I caught the cape on the door latch and ripped it and this is in the afternoon, before the service.

“So, they had an emergency embroiderer who came in early in the morning to stitch it back up again.”

A roof with a view

09:36 , Matt Watts

People are taking every vantage point to see the arrivals at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Here, builders watch on from a the roof of a building opposite the cathedral where a policeman keeps watch

‘It’s a joy and privilege to be here today’

09:42 , Matt Watts

A group of attendees for the service said they felt “fortunate” to get an invite.

Eva Stanislaus, 67, South Croydon, Harsha Stanislous, 36, Canary Wharf, Banji Adewumi MBE, 57, Bexleyheayh and Joshua Adewumi, 64, Bexleyheath will be attending the Thanksgiving Service at St Paul’s Cathedral in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

When asked what brought her here today, Eva Stanislous told the Standard: “I work for a business energy and strategy department. They have nominated several people and only three people were chosen so I am fortunate to get the invite.

“It is great, we are always following the Royal Family.”

Banji Adewumi MBE, who received the award in recognition of her work in diversity, equality and inclusion said: “I received an invitation following receiving the MBE this year, so it’s a joy and privilege to be here today.”

Joshua Adewumi, who is supporting his wife at the service said: “The occasion is very significant, I mean to celebrate the Queen and join with the nation, it’s a great occasion.”

Queen to follow service on television

09:56 , Matt Watts

Like much of nation the Queen will be watching the service at St Paul’s on television, it has been confirmed.

It follows the sad news that she will not be attending after she experienced “discomfort” during Thursday’s celebrations.

She is expected to be resting at Windsor after the busy start to the Jubilee festivities on Thursday.

The Prince of Wales will officially represent his mother at the service.

Crowds eagerly await arrivals

10:01 , Matt Watts

Excitement is building among the crowds that have amassed outside St Paul’s Cathedral as they watch the arrival of guests. The Royal guests are expected to arrive shortly before the start of the service.

‘It’s important for the young people’, says onlooker

10:17 , Bill Mcloughlin

Jess Wightman, 24, a business owner from Kettering has been in London for the royal celebrations since Wednesday and feels more young should celebrate the special occasion.

She said: “I think it’s important that there’s young people here and it’s a fresher generation to show that people still support them, and people still want them to exist and there’s a lot of people that have their opinions about it but it’s a rare thing to have something that brings everyone together from all over the world.

“There’s so many different people here and everyone’s here to support them, especially with everything that’s gone on over the past few years, I think it’s amazing.”

Having managed to get to the Trooping of Colour, she said: “We got extremely lucky managed to get down near the screens and we saw the planes come over.

“We lingered and all the horses came up towards us, it was amazing.”

When asked who she was most excited to see, Jess said she’s got her eyes set on the Sussexes: “I think it’s definitely got to be Harry and Meghan, just purely because they don’t come here very often.

“A lot of people don’t like them, so I think it’s important to be one of those people that does want to see them.

“I don’t think it’s fair the hate that they get I think it’s absolutely disgraceful I don’t think anyone should be treated that way and I think they deserve that support.”

Additional reporting by Jonathan Kanengoni

St Paul’s begins to fill

10:22 , Bill Mcloughlin

As the royal band plays ahead of the service, dignitories such as Oliver Dowden, chairman of the Conservative Party have begun to etner the cathedral.

Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle has also arrived for the service.

Tony Blair arrives at St Paul’s

10:25 , Bill Mcloughlin

Former Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair has arrived for the service, alongside his wife, Cherie.

Gordon Brown has also arrived, while David Cameron and Theresa May have now entered the Cathedral.

The military forms up

10:29 , Bill Mcloughlin

Nicola Sturgeon arrives

10:31 , Bill Mcloughlin

First minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has arrived with her husband, Peter.

Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis has also now entered the cathedral.

More dignitaries arrive

10:36 , Bill Mcloughlin

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has now arrived while Home Secretary, Priti Patel has also entered the cathedral.

Both have been quickly followed by Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary.

Soldiers collapses

10:41 , Bill Mcloughlin

A member of the Armed Forces collapsed on the steps of St Paul’s as Foreign Secretar Liz Truss arrived for the service.

Boris Johnson arrives

10:42 , Bill Mcloughlin

The Prime Minister has arrived for the service to a mixture of booes and cheers by onlookers.

More royal fans praise the Queen

10:48 , Bill Mcloughlin

A group of royal fans from Newport, South Wales, have come to join the royal festivities in London.

Gay Childers-Bennet, who works for a company supporting people with special needs, Gwendoline Jackson, a retired nurse, Barbara Hewitt, a retired nurse practitioner, Sandra Truman, a former customer care executive, and Susan Lewis, who worked as an accountant, have been attending royal events for the past two decades.

“It’s been 20 years we’ve been coming to these events, and we come to every one” they said.

“We’re very lucky as a country we get to come to these things.”

When asked about their arrival, they said: “We came yesterday, we missed a bit of the Trooping of Colour, but we still managed to get to see the planes fly over.”

The group do not have favourites but do have the Duchess of Cambridge in their sights: “We want to see all of them really, especially Kate. It’s a shame that we can’t see the Queen today, but you’ve got to draw the line somewhere, she’s been doing it for 70 years. Just to be here and take in the atmosphere is amazing.”

Additional reporting by Jonathan Kanengoni

Sir Keir Starmer arrives

10:50 , Bill Mcloughlin

The leader of the Opposition has now joined other attendees at the service.

The Lord Mayor of London, Vincent Keaveny has also arrived.

St Paul’s Cathedral rings out

10:52 , Bill Mcloughlin

The bell, first placed in the tower in 1882 has begun to ring out from the cathedral.

First royals arrive

11:00 , Bill Mcloughlin

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are among the first royals to walk the steps of the cathedral.

Prince Michael of Kent also arrives while a coach brings more members of the Royal Family, including Zara and Mike Tindall - her brother Peter Phillips is also in attendance.

Senior royals arrive

11:05 , Bill Mcloughlin

Princess Anne and her husband have now arrived. Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie have now arrived with both of their children.

Princesses Eugenice and Beatrice have now both arrived with their partners.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry have now walked the steps to the cathedral.

Prince William and Kate arrive for the service

11:17 , Bill Mcloughlin

Prince William, and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge have now arrived, without their children, however.

The pair are met with a loud roar of cheers and applause by the crowd as they enter the cathedral.

Prince Charles arrives on behalf of the Queen

11:20 , Bill Mcloughlin

Prince Charles has now arrived for the service, on behalf of his mother who is not in attendance.

Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrive, they are met with cheers from the crowd and slautes from the ceremonial guard.

Watch: Great Paul rings out

11:39 , Bill Mcloughlin

Boris Johnson gives reading during service

12:04 , Bill Mcloughlin

After receiving a mixed reception from the crowd, the Prime Minister gave a reading during the service.

It read: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

12:09 , Bill Mcloughlin

National anthem sung at the service

12:20 , Bill Mcloughlin

The national anthem has now been sung to signify the end of the service.

The attendees will now gradually leave St Paul’s Catherdral.

Royals leave St Paul’s Cathedral

12:24 , Bill Mcloughlin

Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, along with Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge have now left the service.

Remaining royals depart

12:29 , Bill Mcloughlin

The remaining royals, including Princess Anne and her husband, Timothy Laurence.

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice have also departed the iconic cathedral. They are closely followed by Zara and Mike Tindall who chatted to the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry.

Officials leave St Paul’s

12:37 , Bill Mcloughlin

Members of the Government, inlcuding Prit Patel, Ben Wallace, Brandon Lewis and Sajid Javid have now departed the service.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has also departed, as too has Sir Keir Starmer.

Officials arrive at the Guildhall reception

12:40 , Bill Mcloughlin

Boris Johnson and Priti Patel have now arrived at the Guildhall reception.

Senior members of the Royal Family are already at the reception.

The reception is being held by the Lord Mayor of London, other former Lord Mayor’s are also present.

Coronation chicken on the lunch menu for reception

12:47 , Bill Mcloughlin

Pictures from the Guildhall reception

12:55 , Bill Mcloughlin

More pictures from the Guildhall reception

13:42 , Bill Mcloughlin

‘Disrespectful’ to boo PM says royal fan

14:11 , Bill Mcloughlin

Julia Lumb, 53, a teacher from Halifax was asked by our reporter on the ground what she made of the boos for Boris Johnson as he entered the cathedral.

She said: “I just think its disrespectful really, it doesn’t matter what you think of somebody, you don’t really need to behave like that.”

Asked how long she travelled for the Jubilee celebrations, Julia replied: “Three hours on the train which wasn’t too bad. We came down Wednesday and we go back tonight.”

When asked who she was excited to see, Julia said: “No one in particular, just excited to see what’s going on.”

She was also happy with the response to Harry and Meghan and William and Kate, adding: “Much better today much more positive today.”

Royals depart Guildhall reception

14:30 , Bill Mcloughlin

Members of the Royal Family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall have now been pictured leaving the reception.

Ed Sheeran says past jubilee celebrations inspired his career

14:54 , Daniel Keane

Ed Sheeran has revealed how past jubilee celebrations inspired his musical career ahead of his performance at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday.

In a post on Instagram, the singer wrote: "20 years ago I decided I wanted to pick up a guitar because I watched the Golden Jubilee on tv, saw Eric Clapton play Layla and said 'that's what I wanna do'.

"10 years later I played The A Team at the Diamond Jubilee, and now 10 years on I'm playing the Platinum Jubilee this Sunday.

"Life is weird how it keeps coming full circle in lovely ways. Tune in on Sunday and see ya there x"

Sheeran, 31, is set to perform his song Perfect during Sunday's celebrations, as a tribute to the Queen and her late husband the Duke of Edinburgh.

Pictured: Charles and Kate mingle at reception

15:05 , Daniel Keane

Kate: Queen had ‘lovely’ Jubilee celebration but found day ‘tiring'

15:17 , Daniel Keane

The Queen had a "lovely" time at Thursday's Platinum Jubilee celebrations but found the day "very tiring", the Duchess of Cambridge is said to have told an attendee at a Guildhall reception.

Gill Smallwood from Bolton spoke with Kate on Friday after a service of thanksgiving at the nearby St Paul's Cathedral.

Ms Smallwood said she had asked Kate how the Queen was doing.

She told the PA news agency: "She (Kate) said, 'yes, she was fine, it was just very tiring yesterday, and she (the Queen) had had a lovely, lovely time'."

She said Kate told her that Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte also "had a lovely time" at Thursday's celebrations, during which all three Cambridge children appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for a flypast.

Pictured: PM holds his head in his hands at ceremony

15:43 , Daniel Keane

Queen to miss Epsom Derby

16:04 , Bill Mcloughlin

The Queen will not attend the Epsom Derby on Saturday, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

Her Majesty pulled out of the St Paul’s Thanksgiving Service on Friday morning due to mobility issues.

It was hoped the Queen would therefore be able to attend the races on Saturday, but she will instead watch proceedigns from Windsor Castle.

Read our story here.

‘It was very inspirational, it’s a once in a lifetime event,’ says fan

16:25 , Bill Mcloughlin

Bibi Khan the president of the London Islamic Cultural Society and received an MBE in the New Years Honours List. She attended both the service and the lunch at the Guildhall.

When asked of her experience, she told the Standard: “I thought it was very inspirational. It’s a once in a lifetime event.

“It’s great actually being a part of the service and actually seeing everyone like the royals and the MP’s and everyone, but also it was more important meeting so many people from so many walks of life who have been doing amazing things in the community.”

Bibi also spoke of taking inspiration from the Queen and channelling it in her role as a female president, adding: “The Queen has gone through so many difficulties, but she’s been stabilising role model and an inspiration.

“For me being a president and being female, take her guide from the way she’s handled herself.”

‘If you look at the relationship between the UK and the Commonwealth, it’s very close to my heart,’ says onlooker

16:51 , Bill Mcloughlin

Shivani Rohith and Naomi Nabirye, both living in London and working in health and social care, came to St Paul’s Cathedral together to celebrate the Jubilee.

When asked about their bond with the Commonwealth, the pair said: “There’s a history between the UK and the country that I come from, so we go back a long way.

“If you look at the relationship between the UK and the Commonwealth, it’s very close to our heart, it’s something that we’ve had, an understanding of Queen and country.

“We grew up in a place that had apartheid and so to be here in person, to be here now, it’s extra special and it’s all because of this one person.

“It’s something we grew up seeing on TV and in pictures and for me it was really the very early pictures of Princess Diana as most people will tell you, it’s just something really special.”

Shivani also spoke of her admiration of the Queen and her 70 years on the throne: “Who else can you say has been so steadfast, so loyal, so committed to people? It feels so special to be part of this. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but to be here.”

Princess Anne visits Edinburgh Zoo

17:42 , Bill Mcloughlin

Following the service at St Paul’s, Princess Anne travelled to Scotland’s capital to visit the Edinburgh Zoo.

Epsom Downs Racecourse wishes Queen a ‘wonderful’ Jubilee

18:44 , Bill Mcloughlin

Watch: Princess Royal feeds penguins on visit to Edinburgh Zoo

19:55 , Daniel Keane

Britain’s Got Talent kicks off with Jubilee theme

20:22 , Daniel Keane

Britain's Got Talent has kicked off its fifth and last semi-final of the week with a special Jubilee theme.

The judges - Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams - have dressed for the occasion in red, white and blue with the stage hosting a street party-style banquet.

During Friday's show, eight semi-finalists will compete in the hope of making it through to the final on Sunday, including Cowell's golden buzzer act Axel Blake, who impressed the judge during his audition with his quick wit.

Concert takes place at St George’s Chapel

20:34 , Daniel Keane

A concert is underway at St George’s Chapel to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.

It will feature music from across the British Isles used on royal occasions during the Queen’s reign, according to the Daily Mail.

Katherine Jenkins recalls touching gesture from Queen

21:30 , Daniel Keane

Katherine Jenkins has recalled the touching moment the Queen guided her through a meal's etiquette to save the singer from embarrassment.

The singer, 41, said the gesture made her love the monarch "even more after that" as she had given the advice in such a "caring way".

Jenkins is taking part in a number of celebrations over the Platinum Jubilee weekend, including performing at a special outdoor concert at Sandringham on Friday evening alongside The Military Wives Choirs.

Reflecting on her most treasured memory with the Queen, the operatic singer remembered a time she was invited to an intimate lunch at Buckingham Palace when she was in her mid-20s.

She explained that after the meal was served she panicked as she was given a large glass bowl of water and a selection of fruit which she had "no clue what to do" with.

Jenkins said: "I looked across at Her Majesty and sensing my unease she caught my eye as if to say 'follow me'.

"I watched her take the fruit, wash it in the water and dried it off with the gauze.

"I was so grateful because she did it in such a caring way to save me embarrassment. I loved her even more after that."

Thanks for following...

22:15 , Daniel Keane

That’s all from us tonight, but we’ll be back with all the latest updates on the Jubilee celebrations from tomorrow morning.