Royal family to tour UK during Queen Elizabeth's jubilee weekend

Members of Britain's royal family will tour the UK as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations , it has been announced. Britain will mark the queen’s 70-year reign with a special series of events during the four-day bank holiday weekend that starts on Thursday, June 2. Buckingham Palace has announced further details of the royal tour, which will include all the members of the monarchy attending public events. Prince William and his wife Kate will visit Wales, the Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Northern Ireland and Princess Anne will visit Scotland. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are likely to be in London attending events over the jubilee weekend. Prince Harry and Meghan confirmed on Friday, also their son Archie’s third birthday, that they were “excited and honoured” to be attending commemorations for the monarch’s milestone in June with their eldest child and his sister Lilibet. In which engagements the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will participate has yet to be revealed. Marking her diamond jubilee in 2012, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh embarked on an extensive, three-month tour of Britain. It was announced last week that during the jubilee celebrations there would be a gathering of royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony, after the Trooping the Colour ceremony, limited to working royals only, with Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Meghan omitted from the line-up. The monarch’s decision to include only royals carrying out official public duties was taken “after careful consideration”, Buckingham Palace said. The symbolic move is likely to be interpreted as a snub to Prince Harry and Meghan, who quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago, and to Prince Andrew, who was cast out of the institution over his civil sexual assault case. On June 2, Trooping the Colour, the sovereign’s official birthday parade, will kick start the four days of jubilee festivities, with 18 members of the royal family set to gather on the famous frontage, with the queen “looking forward” to the weekend of celebrations. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “After careful consideration, the queen has decided this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday, June 2 will be limited to her majesty and those members of the royal family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the queen.” There will be no ceremonial journey to the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, June 3, and the 96-year-old monarch , who is experiencing mobility issues, will use a different entrance rather than scaling the steps. The 18th century gold state coach will appear on the streets of London for the first time in 20 years when it leads the jubilee pageant procession on Sunday, June 5. Archive film footage of Elizabeth II on her coronation day will be shown on the remodelled coach windows to evoke the image of the young monarch travelling in the vehicle. With the queen expected to appear on the balcony for Trooping, attend the church service and the Epsom Derby, decisions on her appearances across the weekend are not likely to be confirmed until the day. A palace spokesman said: “The queen is looking forward to the weekend and will be taking part in the celebrations but her presence will not be confirmed until much nearer the time or even on the day itself.”

Royal family to tour UK during Queen Elizabeth's jubilee weekend

Buckingham Palace announces more details of celebrations marking the monarch's 70-year reign