Golden Jubilee weekend celebrated

Hundreds of thousands of people have celebrated the Queen's Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years since she came to the throne.

A four-day holiday weekend of events came to a climax on 4 June, when around a million people gathered along the Mall in London for a parade and a flypast by aircraft including Concorde and the Red Arrows.

Party at the Palace

On the night of 3 June, a pop concert was held in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, the first ever. Performers included Paul McCartney, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones. The Queen guitarist Brian May opened the show by playing God Save the Queen on the roof of the palace.

Ozzy Osbourne, from Aston in Birmingham, performed the Black Sabbath song Paranoid.

The concert, broadcast live on television, was watched by millions. Crowds gathered outside the palace to watch on giant screens, and the evening ended with a firework display.

A national celebration

Street parties were held across the country, from villages to city centres, with bunting, flags and tea. The weekend also included a classical concert at the palace and a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral.

The Queen has been touring the country during the jubilee year, and her visits have drawn large crowds.

A difficult year

The celebrations come after a year of personal loss for the Queen. Her sister, Princess Margaret, died in February, and her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, died in March, aged 101.

Before the jubilee, some commentators predicted that the public would show little interest. The size of the crowds has surprised many.

Fifty years on the throne

The Queen came to the throne on 6 February 1952, on the death of her father, King George VI, and was crowned in June 1953. She has since reigned through ten prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to Tony Blair.

She is only the fifth British monarch to reach a golden jubilee, after Henry III, Edward III, George III and Victoria.

Thanks

In a message after the weekend, the Queen thanked people for their support and said she had been deeply moved by the celebrations.

For many, the weekend has shown the enduring affection in which the Queen is held.