The Queen was greeted with loud cheers and applause as she appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour parade.
The nation is celebrating Her Majesty’s platinum jubilee, which marks her 70th year on the throne and makes her the longest-reigning British monarch in history.
Carrying out her signature wave, Queen Elizabeth II wore a powder blue Angela Kelly coat dress with a pearl and diamante trim and a matching hat. She also wore a Guards’ Badge pinned on her left side.
The monarch wore the same outfit for an official platinum jubilee portrait released on Wednesday.
Standing on the balcony with the aide of a walking stick, the 96-year-old monarch stood next to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. She will be joined by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their three children.
She will also be joined by most of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
For the first time since her reign began in 1953, the Queen did not take the military salute on Horse Guards Parade.
Instead, Prince Charles, Prince William and Princess Anne took the salute and rode on the parade as colonels of the Welsh Guards, the Irish Guards and the Blues and Royals.
A number of official events are taking place across the four-day special bank holiday weekend, including a Service of Thanksgiving, the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert, and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
While Buckingham Palace has said the Queen hopes to attend the events, her presence will not be confirmed until the day-of due to her ongoing mobility problems.
She is expected to appear the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral together with the royal family, including the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
It will mark the largest gathering of the royal family since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May 2018.
Follow our live coverage of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations here.
