Let the second day of celebrations BEGIN! Roads around St Paul’s Cathedral turn red, white and blue

Guests have begun filing into St Paul’s Cathedral for this morning’s thanksgiving service, on the second day of celebrations to make the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Roads around the venue were turned into a sea of red, white and blue as royal super fans – many of whom camped out overnight to try and secure the best positions – cheered to greet those arriving at the church.

Although the crowds appear smaller than those seen at the Trooping the Colour festivities yesterday, hundreds of people have gathered, some wearing Union Jack hats and others hanging flags and bunting over the railings on the approach to the cathedral. 

Many guests had their photographs taken outside the Great West Door, where members of the Royal family are also due to enter the cathedral for the event.

The Queen has ‘reluctantly’ had to pull out of the festivities after feeling ‘discomfort’ at yesterday’s Trooping the Colour, while her disgraced son, the Duke of York, will also be absent after ‘testing positive for Covid’.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has also tested positive for Covid-19 and will too miss the event, with the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, giving the sermon instead. 

The Queen will be watching the service at St Paul’s on television from Windsor Castle and is expected to be resting at her Berkshire residence after the busy start to the Jubilee festivities on Thursday.

Wider members of the family are expected to be present including Harry and Meghan, and the 11am service will be followed by a Guildhall reception for the royals.

The Bishop of London, Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullay told BBC Breakfast she is ‘excited’ ahead of the thanksgiving service, in which she will be leading the blessing – but admitted 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 Archbishop of York has said delivering the sermon at the service of thanksgiving is a ‘slightly terrifying gig’.

The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell has had to step in at the 11th hour after the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, contracted Covid 19.

Speaking before the service at St Paul’s Cathedral, Archbishop Cottrell said he was trying to treat it as just ‘another sermon’.

‘Obviously that’s my job, speaking about the Christian faith, preaching sermons,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

‘Although this is a slightly terrifying gig I’ve been offered at short notice, from my knowledge of the Queen and when I’ve been with her before, indeed when I’ve preached in church when she’s there, the one thing I’m very confident of is she wants to hear about the Christian faith which is what has motivated her and sustained her throughout her life, throughout her reign.

‘So I am just treating it as another sermon. It is slightly terrifying but it is a great honour.’

Archbishop Cottrell expressed disappointment the Queen would not be present after experiencing some ‘discomfort’ following Thursday’s celebrations but said he was confident she would be following proceedings.

‘I am really sad she is not here because I want to say some personal things to her, thanksgiving for what she has given to our nation, but I am sure she will be watching on the telly,’ he said.

Mr Cottrell said that throughout her reign, the Queen was someone whose life was shaped by her Christian faith.

‘The Queen doesn’t wear her faith on her sleeve, she wears it in her heart which is actually the best place to wear it. I see in the Queen somebody who lives out her faith each day, not necessarily talks about it all the time,’ he said.

‘I think what I have seen in the Queen is somebody who is so shaped by her Christian faith that, in small ways and large ways, she has simply tried to live that out.

‘I think that has been a hugely impressive example right at the heart of our national life for 70 years.’

Meanwhile the Dean of St Paul’s has said today’s 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.’

Among the guests filing in before 10am was London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was cheered by some members of the public as he passed by crowds to arrive at the cathedral. 

Today’s service will be Harry and Meghan’s first appearance with The Firm since the frosty Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2020 shortly before they officially stepped down as senior royals.

But a royal commentator has said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hope to be as ‘low-profile as possible’ during their trip to the UK.

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 and also spoke about the upcoming first birthday of their daughter, Lilibet, tomorrow.

‘Those moments with Lilibet are very much private between them and the Queen,’ he said, adding that last night at Windsor would have been the first time Her Majesty would have met her namesake in person.

The 96-year-old Queen will miss today’s service at St Paul’s following a last-minute decision announced by the Palace at 7.30pm last night after she experienced ‘discomfort’ during the Trooping The Colour events.

She is understood to have suffered episodic mobility issues yesterday – and, in a statement, the Palace revealed the Queen ‘greatly enjoyed’ her birthday parade and flypast but ‘did experience some discomfort’.

It said: ‘Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow’s National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty, with great reluctance, has concluded that she will not attend.’

It is understood the decision ahead of the service, which begins at 11.30am today, was considered regrettable but sensible due to the length of the journey and time involved and the physical demands the service would require.

Senior members of the monarchy at St Paul’s this morning will also include the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Sussexes, who will be joined by the extended royal family.

Meanwhile key workers, charity volunteers and members of the armed forces have been invited to the Queen’s service of thanksgiving in recognition of their contribution to public life.

More than 400 people, who have been making a difference either nationally or locally, are among the guests and many have been working tirelessly during the pandemic. 

They will join members of the royal family at St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate the monarch’s 70-year reign, although the Queen herself will not attend after experiencing ‘some discomfort’ during Thursday’s events following previous mobility issues.

The Dean of St Paul’s, Dr David Ison, will say in The Bidding: ‘We come together in this Cathedral Church today to offer to God our thanks and praise for the reign of Her Majesty the Queen and especially for her 70 years of faithful and dedicated service.

‘As we gather from communities across her realm and the Commonwealth of Nations, we rejoice in the diverse and varied lives of all those whom she serves, and in the beauty and abundance of the world in which we live.

‘Inspired by words and music, we pray that God will continue to bless and guide Her Majesty, and that we may all receive grace to honour life and to live in harmony with one another; and we continue to pray for those whose lives are marred by conflict, suffering and tragedy.

‘And mindful of the call of God to look to the needs of others, we commit ourselves afresh to caring for our world and all for whom it is home, striving always to seek out and nurture that which is good in people and in all creation.’

Those invited in recognition of their service have all been recipients of honours in the New Year or Birthday Honours lists and their number also includes public servants and representatives from social enterprises and voluntary groups.

Boris Johnson, who will give a New Testament reading, and members of his Cabinet are among the guests along with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, first ministers of the devolved governments and former prime ministers.

The diplomatic world will be represented by high commissioners and ambassadors from across the world and also attending are governors general and clergy from world faiths.

The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell will give the sermon after the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tested positive for Covid-19. The Dean of the Chapel Royal, Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, will give the Collect and the Blessing, and the Dean of St Paul’s will conduct the service.

Young people representing countries where the Queen is head of state will lead the ‘Act of Commitment’ celebrating the life and reign of the monarch, led by the Reverend Robert Kozak.

During the day, one of the country’s largest bells, the Great Paul, will be rung before and after the service, the first time it will have been heard at a royal occasion.

The event will feature a new anthem by Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music, that sets to music words from the third Chapter of the Book of Proverbs.

Bible readings, hymns and prayers to express thankfulness for the Queen’s reign, faith and service will also be heard by the congregation as the nation marks the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.

Before the service begins, the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth (Royal Band), will play as the congregation arrives and the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry will perform to mark royal arrivals, while the Fanfare Trumpeters of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force will accompany later in the service.

Platinum Jubilee Day TWO: Kate and Wills, Harry and Meghan and Charles and Camilla to attend thanksgiving ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral – but Queen, 96, will be noticeably absent after suffering ‘discomfort’ during first day of celebrations

The Queen‘s Platinum Jubilee, which marks Her Majesty’s 70th year on the throne, enters its second day today with a special thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral. 

A series of major events has been scheduled for the four-day extravaganza, which began on Thursday with Trooping the Colour and a jaw-dropping 71-aircraft Flypast, and which will end on Sunday with a special Pageant celebrating the life of the nation’s longest-reigning monarch. 

Outdoor parties will also take place on Sunday as part of the Big Jubilee Lunch, while there will be a televised concert on the BBC from Buckingham Palace the day before.

The Queen delighted crowds on Thursday with an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where she is expected to appear again after the Pageant parade finale on Sunday.

However she will not attend the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, after experiencing some ‘discomfort’ during the first day of celebrations. 

Her wider family are expected to attend, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, while Prince Andrew will remain at home after testing positive for Covid. 

The Queen, 96, is also set to spend some personal time with the Sussexes, who are bringing their children Archie and Lilibet over from the US – and could meet Lili for the first time as she celebrates her first birthday on Saturday.

On Sunday, thousands of people will gather across the country as more than 85,000 Big Jubilee Lunches and street parties are staged in celebration of the Queen’s record-breaking reign.

Royal Family members will also visit every corner of the UK over the weekend for official engagements – with William and Kate going to Wales; Edward and Sophie travelling to Northern Ireland; and Anne to Scotland. 

Here, MailOnline looks at the programme of events over the four-day bank holiday weekend: 

TODAY 

Service of Thanksgiving (from 11am)

A traditional service of thanksgiving will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London from 11am on Friday.

There will be no ceremonial journey to the cathedral.

Wider members of the family are expected to be present including Harry and Meghan, and the service will be followed by a Guildhall reception for members of the royal family.

Prince Andrew will not be attending after testing positive for Covid.  

The Archbishop of Canterbury has also tested positive for Covid-19 and will too miss the service. The Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, will give the sermon instead.

Justin Welby was diagnosed with mild pneumonia last Thursday and was continuing to work, but after developing symptoms over the weekend he tested for coronavirus.

Royal family members are scheduled to arrive at the foot of the West Steps at 10.55am. 

At 11.25am, the congregation will be ordered to stand for the procession of religious leaders, the choirs, and then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales. 

The royals in attendance will take their seats under the Dome before the ceremony gets underway. 

There will be several hymns sung, along with readings from the Old Testament. 

The ceremony will end with the singing of the national anthem.  

SATURDAY 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Cardiff Castle to meet performers and crew involved in the special Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert taking place in the castle grounds later that afternoon, Buckingham Palace has announced.

During their visit, William and Kate will view rehearsals and meet some of the acts taking part in the celebrations, including Bonnie Tyler and Owain Wynn Evans.

Hosted by Aled Jones and Shan Cothi, the concert at Cardiff Castle will feature live performances from some of Wales’ best-known singers and entertainers, alongside choirs, bands and orchestras.

During the extended bank holiday weekend, the Earl and Countess of Wessex will carry out two engagements in Northern Ireland while the Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will visit Edinburgh. 

Epsom Derby (from 4pm)

The Queen is no longer planning to attend the Epsom Derby during her Platinum Jubilee weekend. 

The 96-year-old monarch is said to want to pace herself during her milestone celebrations, with her daughter the Princess Royal representing her at the racecourse instead, The Sunday Times reported.

The Derby on Saturday June 4 was to be a personal highlight for the Queen during the four days of Jubilee festivities.

The head of state, a passionate horse owner and breeder, was due to be greeted on the course with a special guard of honour including up to 40 of her past and present jockeys.

But the newspaper revealed the monarch is now ‘increasingly unlikely’ to head to Epsom. However the Queen will still have a runner – Just Fine, in the penultimate race of the afternoon.

Lilibet’s birthday 

Saturday is also the first birthday of Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet, amid speculation the youngster could spend the day with her namesake great-grandmother.

The Sussexes are flying over from the US with Lili, who has never met the Queen in person before, and her older brother Archie.

It could be the first time Harry and Meghan have been seen alongside the Windsor clan since Megxit and since they accused an unnamed senior royal of racism during their controversial Oprah Winfrey interview. 

Party At The Palace (from 7.30pm)

In the evening, the BBC’s Party at the Palace – set on three stages in front of Buckingham Palace – will entertain a live crowd of 22,000 people and a television audience of millions.

The line-up includes Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers, Andrea Bocelli, Duran Duran, Bond composer Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow and George Ezra.

The show will also feature appearances from stars including Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, Stephen Fry and Dame Julie Andrews.

Charles and William are preparing to deliver public tributes at the concert to the Queen, who will be watching on television from Windsor.

SUNDAY 

Big Jubilee Lunch

Millions of people are expected to sit down with their neighbours at street parties, picnics and barbecues, with more than 200,000 Big Jubilee Lunches being held across the UK on the Sunday afternoon,

Camilla, patron of the Big Lunch, will join Charles at a flagship feast at The Oval cricket ground in south London, while the Earl and Countess of Wessex will meet people creating the ‘Long Table’ down on The Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle.

The celebration also coincides with this year’s Thank You Day –  originally set up to pay tribute to those who helped people through the pandemic.

Celebrities Ross Kemp, Gareth Southgate, Prue Leith and Ellie Simmonds have urged people to throw the biggest thank you party for the Queen.

The Platinum Pudding, Scotch eggs and fruit platters will feature on a six-metre felt creation by artist Lucy Sparrow which is to be viewed by Charles and Camilla at The Oval. It will be given pride of place in the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace later this year.

Members of the local community, 70 volunteers who have been recognised as Platinum Champions through the Royal Voluntary Service’s Platinum Champions Awards, celebrity ambassadors and various charity representatives will be among the guests at the cricket ground.

The royal couple will also present the Platinum Champions with certificates and pins, before cutting a Big Jubilee Lunch cake.

More than 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches are being planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond – from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan and South Africa to Switzerland.

Edward and Sophie will join Berkshire residents for their special lunch on the Long Walk, not far from Windsor Castle.

The Long Walk is being reinvented to create ‘the Long Table’ in celebration of the jubilee. This royal pair are also set to meet groups of street performers.

Charles and Camilla will also celebrate with the residents of Albert Square in an EastEnders special. They will be seen attending a Big Lunch in a June 2 episode of the BBC soap.

The Big Lunch is an annual event aimed at celebrating community connections.

Jubilee Pageant (from 2.30pm)

The finale on June 5 is the Jubilee Pageant through the streets of London.

Set to be watched by up to a billion people across the globe, more than 10,000 people have been involved in staging the £15million procession.

Puppet corgis, a giant 3D wire bust of the Queen and the Gold State Coach are just some of the sights set to feature in the 1.8-mile (3km) parade.

Stars including Idris Elba, Sir Cliff Richard, Courtney Love and Slade’s Noddy Holder will take to open-top buses in a through-the-ages tribute to the culture and music of the 70 years of the Queen’s reign.

A peloton of 300 cyclists, riding vintage bikes from across the seven decades of her reign, is to travel down The Mall led by Sir Chris Hoy and cycling golden couple Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny.

Olympic champions Sir Chris, Dame Laura and Sir Jason will be among six ‘hero cyclists’ who race towards Buckingham Palace ready to complete a 360-degree circuit of the Queen Victoria Memorial on Sunday.

Some 205 vehicles will appear as part of the parade, including 11 Morris Minors, seven Land Rovers, 20 vintage Minis including one in the shape of an Outspan Orange and seven original James Bond vehicles.

Ice cream vans, JCBs, Del-Boy’s Only Fools And Horses three-wheeled Reliant Regal Supervan III, 15 Sinclair C5s, and seven open-top double-decker buses decorated in images of the decade they represent will also head down The Mall and past the palace.

It is hoped the monarch will make a final appearance on the Palace balcony to round off the weekend to see a musical finale of Ed Sheeran singing the national anthem with a choir made up of nearly 200 celebrities.

The pageant is split into four acts: 

• For Queen and Country with a military parade; 
• The Time of Our Lives progressing through seven decades of culture, music and fashion; 
• Let’s Celebrate telling the story of the Queen’s life in 12 chapters with corgi puppets and carnival creations; and
• Happy and Glorious musical spectacle starring Ed Sheeran and close to 200 celebrities.

** What are you doing to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee? Please email: mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk **