The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will join The Queen at a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral next week to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, it has been announced.

The couple will honour the monarch’s seven decades on the throne at the special service on Friday, June 3, alongside her other children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Prince Andrew will also make a rare public appearance for the first time since his father’s memorial in April, The Telegraph reports. 

Some of the youngest members of the family, including The Sussex’s son Archie, three, and daughter Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday, are unlikely to attend, sources have said.

It is the first time Prince Harry and Meghan will be surrounded by such a large number of royals since their wedding at Windsor in 2018. 

The news comes after it emerged Andrew, 62, will also take part in another Jubilee ceremony at Windsor Castle on June 13 alongside other senior royals. He will attend Garter Day ceremonies as a Royal Knight.

Nearly 700 years old, the Order is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain. The Knights, now both male and female, used to be limited to aristocracy, but today they are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition for their public service.

The annual iconic Garter Day procession, where The Queen and the Knights process in grand velvet robes, glistening insignia and plumed hats, is one of the most traditional ceremonies in the Queen’s calendar.

The Queen is sovereign of the Order and appoints Knights of the Garter without input from ministers, meaning that Prince Andrew’s appointment was considered as private. 

There are now fears Andrew’s attendance at Garter Day celebrations could overshadow the event, especially after he was said to have agreed to step back from public life following the conclusion of the case. 

Hundreds are expected to gather in Windsor to watch the procession, though it is not known whether The Queen will take part given her recent mobility and health issues.

In years past The Queen would don luscious flowing robes which she wore throughout the public procession and Garter Day church service.

She is said to be likely to attend the ceremony in the Garter throne room and lunch in the Waterloo Chamber this year, health permitting. 

The Queen and Prince Andrew are expected to be joined by The Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, among several other senior royals. 

She will be among seven other senior members of the royal family including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

News of The Duke of York’s expected attendance at Garter Day celebrations comes as it was confirmed The Queen will not take the royal salute at the Trooping the Colour next month for the first time in 70 years, as she continues to delegate responsibility to senior members of The Firm. 

Her Majesty’s birthday, on June 2nd, has historically seen the monarch’s personal troops, the Household Division on Horse Guards Parade, with the Queen herself attending and taking the salute. 

Instead this year, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal will ride on the parade as colonels of the Welsh Guards, the Irish Guards and the Blues and Royals.

According to the Sunday Times, Her Majesty still hopes to attend some of the ceremony, which kicks off four days of celebration to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. 

The news comes as the 96-year-old monarch continues to entrust members of the Royal Family with increased responsibilities as she faces ‘episodic mobility problems’. 

Earlier this month, Her Majesty missed the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years, with Prince Charles and Prince William given power to jointly act at the event on the Queen’s behalf. 

She has though made four recent public outings this month, including attending the Windsor Horse Show, star-studded Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Windsor and the opening of the Elizabeth Tube line, appearing in good spirits at all of them. 

Timings for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend revealed: Where and when the royals will be celebrating the monarch’s 70 year reign…from Trooping the Colour to the Epsom Derby

By Harriet Johnston for Mail Online

The timings for the Queen‘s Platinum Jubilee weekend have been unveiled with the celebrations just over a week away.

In mere days, the nation will gather to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee during an extended four-day Bank Holiday weekend which will see a service of thanksgiving held, Trooping the Colour and a Jubilee pageant staged. 

The monarch is expected to limit her appearances at the Platinum Jubilee to the Trooping the Colour – the parade and flypast that kicks off the celebrations on Thursday June 2 – and a service of celebration at St Paul’s Cathedral the next day, which will be attended by the entire Royal Family including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have been banned from the Buckingham Palace balcony 24 hours earlier. But her presence is unlikely to be confirmed until the day itself. 

And now Buckingham Palace have unveiled the run-down of how the weekend will be organised hour-by-hour. 

Here is the rundown of what will happen as the nation pays tribute to the Queen’s 70 years as sovereign…

THURSDAY JUNE 2 

10am – The Queen’s Birthday Parade – Trooping the Colour – begins.

10.30am – Members of the royal family leave Buckingham Palace for the parade ground.

The military spectacle will be followed by a balcony appearance by the Queen, it is hoped, plus key royals including the Cambridge children, to watch a special flypast.

9.25pm – Members of the royal family arrive to watch the lighting of the principal beacon at the palace – a 21-metre tall Tree of Trees sculpture.

More than 3,000 beacons are being lit across the UK and the Commonwealth.

More than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will come together in the traditional Parade to mark The Queen’s official birthday, usually held on the second Saturday in June.

Beginning at Buckingham Palace, the procession will move down The Mall to Horse Guards’ Parade, joined by members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages. 

Trooping the Colour will close with the traditional RAF fly-past, watched by the Queen and the Royal Family from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Crucially the balcony appearance is limited to working members of her family, with the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex omitted from the royal line up.

Joining the Queen on the balcony for Trooping will be the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

Also set to appear for the historic occasion will be Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and the Wessexes’ children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.

The head of state has made an exception for Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim, who is not a working royal, and her two youngest grandchildren Lady Louise and James, and her Cambridge great-grandchildren George, Charlotte and Louis.   

The Palace spokesman added: ‘In addition the Cambridge and Wessex children are also expected to appear as is Sir Tim Laurence, who the Queen is happy to attend as a frequent attendee and support for the Princess Royal on official engagements.’ 

The symbolic move is likely to be interpreted as a snub to Harry and Meghan, who quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago, and to Andrew, who was cast out of the institution over his civil sexual assault case.  

Andrew stepped down from public duties in 2019 and just weeks ago paid millions out of court to settle a civil sexual assault case.

He was stripped of his honorary military titles and forced to no longer use his HRH style, but he played a key role in March when he escorted his mother to the Duke of Edinburgh’s thanksgiving service.

Harry and Meghan quit as senior working royals amid the Megxit saga, but there was speculation they might return to the UK to attend the Jubilee celebrations.

Andrew and the Sussexes could still make an appearance during other parts of the weekend.

A Palace source said: ‘Other family members will be invited to events. We’ve always made that clear and they are likely to be public events.’

FRIDAY 3 JUNE 

11am – The royal family begin to arrive at the service of thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral.

12.25pm – Members of the royal family afterwards attend a Guildhall reception hosted by the Lord Mayor.

A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. The service will include readings from the Bible, along with prayers and hymns that will be sung by both the choir and congregation. 

During the service, the church’s bell, named Great Paul, will be rung. It was made in 1882 but fell silent in the 1970s due to a broken mechanism. 

It was restored in 2021 and has been rung on eight occasions since then. However, this is the first royal occasion for which it has been rung. 

 After the service, a reception will be held at the Guildhall .

SATURDAY 4 JUNE 

5.30pm – The Epsom Derby race takes place. The Queen and her family are expected to head to the racecourse on Derby Day, where the monarch is due to be greeted with a guard of honour made of up to 40 of her past and present jockeys.

7.40pm – Members of the royal family arrive at the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert.

8pm-10.30pm – The open-air concert in front of the palace, featuring stars including Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran and Diana Ross, is broadcast live on BBC One.

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs.

The Queen is an avid racegoer and horse owner and has attended nearly all of the previous derbies during her 70 years on the throne. 

Platinum Party at the Palace

The BBC will stage and broadcast a special live concert from Buckingham Palace that will bring together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars to celebrate the most significant and joyous moments from The Queen’s seven-decade reign. 

Members of the public will be invited to apply to attend this special event and details of the ballot for UK residents to secure audience tickets will be released in due course.

SUNDAY 5 JUNE

Street parties and Big Jubilee Lunches are staged across the country,

2.30pm-5pm – The Jubilee Pageant takes place in central London, with a 3km carnival procession featuring a cast of thousands including puppets and celebrities and tributes to the seven decades of the Queen’s reign. It will move down The Mall and past the palace.

The finale will feature Ed Sheeran performing, and the singing of the national anthem in front of the Queen’s official residence. 

The Big Jubilee Lunch 

Every year since the idea began in 2009 The Big Lunch has encouraged communities to celebrate their connections and get to know each other a little bit better, coming together in a spirit of fun and friendship. 

In 2022 The Big Lunch will bring the Jubilee celebrations into the heart of every community.

People are invited to share friendship, food and fun with neighbours as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. 

A Big Jubilee Lunch can be big or small – street party or picnic, tea and cake or a garden barbeque. The Big Lunch provides tips and ideas for hosting an event.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant

A pageant featuring over 5,000 people from across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth will take place against the backdrop of Buckingham Palace and the surrounding streets.

It will combine street arts, theatre, music, circus, carnival and costume and celebrate the service of Her Majesty’s reign, as well as honouring the collective service of people and communities across the country.

The bells of Westmiminster Abbey will chime to mark the start of the pageant, as they did on the day of the Queen’s Coronation. 

As they do so, the Mounted Band of the Queen’s Household Cavalry will lead the Gold State Coach along a crowd-thronged route back to Buckingham Palace. 

Made of giltwood, a thin layer of gold leaf over wood, the Queen’s coach is seven metres long, weighs four tonnes and is 12 feet tall, and because of its weight and suspension is only ever used at a walking pace. 

Drawn by eight Windsor Grey horses, the grand carriage, led by the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry, will begin the spectacular carnival Pageant finale on Sunday June 5 as the procession makes it way along the near two-mile route. 

More than 10,000 people will be involved, including the military and more than 6,000 volunteers, performers, key workers and 2,500 members of the public. 

Well-known celebrities from music, film, sport and the arts will also take part in the Pageant, whilst the Armed Forces will take a key role. 

Overall, around 1,800 servicemen and women will be there to represent the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force. 

Adrian Evans, Pageant Master said: ‘Everywhere you look, in the golden sculptures and painted panels, in the uniforms of the postillions, grooms, footmen, attendants and mounted guards, there is rich tradition and history.

‘It will be a unique spectacle that we are privileged to be opening the Pageant with it will set the tone for the very many spectacular sights to come.’

The coach, the third oldest surviving coach in the UK, only ever carries the sovereign, although it has previously taken part in pageants with no passengers.

For her Coronation, the Queen used the coach to travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, and to return.

She was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, in the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet.

Royal Mews staff strapped a hot water bottle under the seat, as the day was unseasonably cold and wet.

The return route from the Abbey was extended, allowing as many people as possible to see the Queen, now wearing the Imperial State Crown.

The monarch left the Abbey carrying the orb and sceptre, and inside the coach special supports had been created for them.

The procession took 45 minutes to pass any one given point.

At the Jubilees of 1977 and 2002, the Queen and Philip travelled in the coach to a Service of National Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The elaborate coach features, above each wheel, a massive triton figure in gilded walnut wood to represent the spreading of the news of good government, and the main body is gilded wood, carved to represent palm trees framing the doors and windows.

Paintings include Roman gods and goddesses representing human skill and endeavour feature. 

These include the Arts, Sciences, Virtue, Security, and the harvest goddess Ceres setting light to weapons in a sign of peace and prosperity overcoming war.

The front panel includes a figure of Britannia sitting on the banks of the river Thames, with the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral just visible in the city.

On the roof is a giltwood carving of the British Imperial crown being held by three putti representing England, Scotland and Ireland.