Buckingham Palace Just Announced A Ceremony That Will Be Led By The Queen And William

Let the festivities begin. With the Platinum Jubilee Weekend only a day away, the world is gearing up to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign, reports CNN. Buckingham Palace has planned a myriad of events to mark the monumental occasion. According to the news outlet, one of the biggest events on schedule is the Trooping the Colour parade, where over 1,200 soldiers from the British army's Household Division and hundreds of army musicians will gather in honor of her majesty's birthday.

The countdown is officially on. On Wednesday, June 1, Buckingham Palace released Queen Elizabeth's official portrait, per Today. The queen was a picture of pure elegance as she posed in her powder blue wool coat and pearls. All eyes have been on her majesty as royal fans have tried to guess which events the queen would attend, especially after her recent flight scare. Queen Elizabeth's plane was caught in the middle of a lightning storm and had to hold off on landing until the weather improved, per People. Luckily, the queen is safe and sound and is on track to kick off the weekend with a special appearance.

Independent reports that on June 2, Queen Elizabeth is set to light the Principal Platinum Jubilee Beacon in a joint ceremony with Prince William. While the queen leads the event from Windsor Castle, Prince William will follow at Buckingham Palace. 

Rebecca English, the Royal Editor for Daily Mail London, broke down the details of the ceremony in a series of tweets. According to English, Queen Elizabeth will be greeted by trumpets in the Windsor Castle Quadrangle. The beacon lighting ceremony will commence once her majesty touches a globe — dubbed the "Commonwealth Globe of Nations" — that was made for this amazing event. This will then trigger the lights that will first illuminate the Quadrangle, then their way to London. 

Town & Country reports that a 68-foot tree was built outside of Buckingham Palace for this very moment. The structure, which has been named the "Tree of Trees", is part of the queen's Green Canopy tree-planting initiative. Per MyLondon, the Duke of Cambridge's role is equally as important as he will light the beacon at Buckingham Palace. After his part in the ceremony is complete, the real party will begin with a performance from two-time Grammy winner Greg Porter and the London Community Gospel Choir tweeted English.