It has been an action-packed long weekend for the platinum jubilee, with Queen Elizabeth II appearing on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, flag-waving Windsors and an unexpected royal double act with a famous bear.
Here are some of the highlights from the four days of festivities.
The jubilee queen
After 70 years on the throne, the queen remains the leading lady with the crowds roaring and erupting into three cheers as she stepped on to the Palace balcony, not once but twice, on the first day.
But the brief appearances left the monarch tired.
Queen Elizabeth, 96, rallied to attend a special beacon lighting at Windsor Castle in the evening.
But the palace announced she would be missing the church service on the Friday.
Then, as the finale, she appeared on the balcony after the Pageant on Sunday, bringing the proceedings to a close.
Dressed in a vibrant green double crepe wool dress and coat, she was flanked by a "magnificent seven" of future kings and queens and great-grandchildren as the crowds sang the national anthem.
Scenes on The Mall
The Great British public took to the celebrations with gusto, with hundreds of thousands of flag-waving royal fans packing on to The Mall in central London.
Spring sunshine set the mood for jubilant scenes on Thursday as the crowds gathered in honour of the monarch after the Trooping the Colour spectacle on Thursday.
Louis steals the show
The youngest Cambridge sibling provided the entertainment and captured hearts from the palace balcony.
Louis, 4, let out a howl and covered his ears during the jubilee flypast, with his “Gan Gan” the queen sweetly interacting with her great-grandson, leaning down to chat to him and point out the planes.
He sat on his grandpa, the Prince of Wales’ lap at the jubilee pageant and gave his mum the Duchess of Cambridge a kiss on the cheek and a cuddle.
He stood on his chair, waved his hands in the air, wriggled around and stuck his finger in his ear during the show.
Day 4 of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations - in pictures
Beacons
A chain of more than 3,500 beacons stretching across the UK and around the Commonwealth were set ablaze late on the first evening, marking the jubilee in the time-honoured way.
Beacons lit around the world to mark Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee - in pictures
The principal beacon was a 21-metre living Tree of Trees sculpture towering above Buckingham Palace, symbolically lit by the queen from Windsor while the Duke of Cambridge watched in London.
The return of Harry and Meghan
It had been a while but the return of the Sussexes for the first time at an official public royal occasion since Megxit drew much media attention.
All eyes were on Prince Harry and Meghan at the service of thanksgiving in St Paul Cathedral on Friday.
But the reunion of Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge proved elusive, with the Sussexes sitting in the second row, far across the aisle from his father, brother and sister-in-law Kate.
Penguin feeding and leading the band
Members of the royal family toured the UK, with Anne, the Princess Royal, feeding penguins in Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland and Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, pulling a pint of Guinness during a trip to Bangor in Northern Ireland.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte made a surprise appearance at Cardiff Castle on their first official visit to Wales
The excited princess conducted the orchestra in a rendition of We Don’t Talk About Bruno from the Disney film Encanto, while Prince George played with the sound and lighting decks, as they met performers preparing for a jubilee concert at the castle.
The Queen and Paddington bear
The monarch delighted the nation when she starred alongside Paddington in a surprise comedy sketch and showed the bear from deepest, darkest Peru how she stored marmalade sandwiches in her famous black Launer handbag.
Offering a fresh insight into the Queen’s sense of humour and her wry wit, the secretly filmed skit played at the start of the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace on Saturday night, showed the pair enjoying a chaotic afternoon tea.
Royal sing-song
The Cambridges enjoyed the party atmosphere as the family sang along with the tunes at the jubilee concert.
Prince George belted out Sweet Caroline, while the Duke of Cambridge knew the words to Jason Donovan’s rendition of Any Dream Will Do.
Charles’s moving tribute
“You laugh and cry with us and, most importantly, you have been there for us,” Prince Charles told Queen Elizabeth in a moving thank-you toast at the televised concert.
Calling the monarch "Mummy", he took to the stage to praise the queen for her “lifetime of selfless service”.
He rallied the crowd into cheering the absent monarch who was 30 kilometres away at Windsor, saying if they were “loud enough she might, might just hear us”.
Stars of the show
Acts including Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys and Eurovision’s Sam Ryder were loudly cheered at the star-studded show.
Soul legend Diana Ross closed the open-air set, with her first live performance in the UK in 15 years.
Corgi drones
Drones flying over the Palace created a giant corgi in the sky and spelled out the message, “Thank you Ma’am” in lights, thrilling concert goers.
Big jubilee lunches
As many as 18 million people are believed to have gathered with their friends, families and neighbours for traditional jubilee street parties on Sunday for the final day of the celebrations
The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla mingled with guests at the flagship big jubilee lunch at The Oval cricket ground.
Prince Charles said he hoped “bickering” did not return after a feeling of “togetherness” across the nation over the weekend.
The Pageant
A cast of 6,000 performers took to the streets of central London, with the procession spared the rain.
Those attending enjoyed a parade of hundreds of “national treasures” including Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, and Sir Cliff Richard, with Ed Sheeran taking the stage at the end.
The Queen’s message
At the end of the weekend, the queen pledged to continue to serve as monarch “to the best of my ability supported by my family”.
It was an acknowledgment of her fragility but a commitment to continue as monarch.
She said in her written message that she was “humbled and deeply touched” by the public’s reaction to her 70 years, adding: “While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all.”
Royal fashion at platinum jubilee celebrations - in pictures
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The five pillars of Islam
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
More on Yemen's civil war
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
More on Quran memorisation:
