Jubilee - live: Platinum Party at the Palace begins with surprise sketch of the Queen and Paddington
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two eldest children arrive at Cardiff Castle
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The Platinum Party of the Palace has begun with a surprise pre-recorded sketch featuring the Queen and Paddington bear.
Kicking off the performances is Queen + Adam Lambert with a rousing renditon of “We Will Rock You” - with the Queen joining in via teacup.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will miss the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert on Saturday evening, as they celebrate their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday “privately” in Windsor.
Other royal family members are attendance of the star-studded performance include the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn, the Princess Royal, and others will also be there.
Amongst this weekend’s celebrations, the Queen did not attend the Epsom Derby today after also missing the platinum jubilee thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that her Majesty watched the major sporting event on television at Windsor Castle, after experiencing “discomfort” following a busy first day of festivities on Thursday.
Queen receives standing ovation at Platinum Jubilee show as the nation salutes her 70 years of service
What’s on the schedule for the platinum jubilee today?
Queen Elizabeth II: What does it mean to be both a human and a national symbol?
What time does the Platinum Jubilee concert start and how can I watch it? 
The longer the Queen lives, the higher the stakes rise on one key question
‘Make Elizabeth the last’ anti-monarchy campaigners urge ahead of platinum jubilee
An anti-monarchy pressure group has plastered billboards across the country urging ‘Make Elizabeth the last’ ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations next week.
Above the faces of Prince Andrew, Prince William and Prince Charles, the advert says #AbolishtheMonarchy.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:
‘Make Elizabeth the last’ anti-monarchy campaigners urge ahead of platinum jubilee
#AbolishtheMonarchy advert reads above the faces of Royal family
Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of the Queen and the royal family today. Come back tomorrow when we continue to bring you the latest updates in the run-up to the platinum jubilee weekend.
Good morning, and welcome back to The Independent’s liveblog following the latest updates about the Queen and the royal family. The big platinum jubilee weekend is now just under a week away.
Unseen footage shows glimpse of ‘fun behind the formality’ of the Queen’s life
The Queen will allow the world to see touching glimpses of “the fun behind the formality” of her royal life in home movies that have been released for the first time.
The clips, which span her life from being a baby pushed in a pram by her mother to her coronation in 1953 at the age of 27, come as she is set to celebrate her platinum jubilee.
Find out what to expect from the upcoming BBC documentary, Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen:
Unseen footage shows glimpse of ‘fun behind the formality’ of the Queen’s life
The Queen granted the BBC access to hundreds of home-made recordings shot by her, her parents and the Duke of Edinburgh
Portrait of Queen painted by robot unveiled
A portrait of the Queen painted by a humanoid robot artist has been unveiled in celebration of the platinum jubilee.
The painting, titled Algorithm Queen, is an abstract, multi-dimensional portrait of the monarch, painted by Ai-Da, an artificial intelligence robot — named after 18th century mathematician and scientist Ada Lovelace, who is considered to be the first computer programmer.
Ellie Muir reports:
A robot called Ai-Da has painted a portrait of the Queen to celebrate the Jubilee
The robot artist Ai-Da is named after 18th century scientist Ada Lovelace
Thousands of newly-planted trees dedicated to Queen for platinum jubilee
More than 12,000 trees planted to help “re-nature” the South Downs National Park have been dedicated to the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
The trees have been planted at 30 sites across Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex for the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.
Find out more below:
Thousands of newly-planted trees dedicated to Queen for Platinum Jubilee
They have been planted at 30 sites across Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex for the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.
Prince Andrew expected to join Queen at Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving
Prince Andrew is expected to join the Queen at her Service of Thanksgiving scheduled to take place at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 3 June.
The event, which will take place on day two of the monarch’s four-day platinum jubilee celebrations, will mark the largest gathering of the royal family since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018.
Prince Andrew expected to join Queen at Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving
Prince Andrew was stripped of his honorary military titles and patronages earlier this year
Why does the Queen love corgis so much?
For over eight decades, from 1933 to 2018, Queen Elizabeth II has owned at least one corgi – a dog breed that has become as synonymous with Her Majesty as Buckingham Palace.
Learn more about the Queen’s history with the big-eared, short-legged pooches:
The Queen and her corgis: Why the monarch is so fond of the breed
Her Majesty currently owns three dogs – two corgis and one dorgi
Meghan Markle made a surprise visit to Uvalde following school shooting
Meghan Markle is being commended for her dedication to helping others after she visited Uvalde, Texas, to donate food to a community centre and pay her respects to the 19 children and two adults killed in Tuesday’s elementary school shooting.
On Thursday, the Duchess of Sussex was photographed laying a bouquet of flowers outside a makeshift memorial of white crosses bearing the names of the victims of the school shooting.
Chelsea Ritschel reports:
Meghan Markle commended for surprise visit to Uvalde school shooting memorial
Duchess of Sussex paid respects to 19 children and two adults who were killed in Tuesday’s school shooting
Trooping the Colour: How is the Queen celebrating her platinum jubilee?
On Thursday 2 June, the Queen will celebrate her “official” birthday with a military parade.
The annual celebration, known as Trooping the Colour, is held on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace. It will mark the start of an extended bank holiday weekend full of events to honour the Queen for her platinum jubilee.
Here’s everything you need to know about Trooping the Colour this year:
Trooping the Colour 2022: How is the Queen celebrating and who will join?
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the celebrations
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