The Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force celebrated Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee today with Trooping the Colour and a spectacular flypast in London today.
Over 70 aircraft from the three Services began the weekend's Platinum Jubilee celebrations with a flypast over The Mall and Buckingham Palace whilst the Royal Family watched on from the famous balcony.
Before the flypast, more than 1,400 soldiers and 250 horses from the British Army’s Household Division took part in the Trooping of the Colour in front of 7,500 ticketed spectators on Horse Guards Parade and another 7,000 at the Queen Victoria Memorial in London.
The Queen's Birthday Parade is the epitome of ceremonial precision and pageantry but this year it has a special resonance because it marks the Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years of loyal service to Her Majesty The Queen. Swords, medals, buttons and breast plates shined while horses and soldiers carried out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to a spectacular, specially composed programme of music.
15 Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth flew over London in a special '70' formation for Her Majesty to mark the landmark occasion.
Full order of the flypast:
- 1 x Wildcat (Royal Navy), 2 x Merlin (Royal Navy)
- 1 x Wildcat (British Army), 3 x Apache (British Army)
- 1 x Wildcat (Royal Marines, Royal Navy), 3 x Merlin (Royal Navy)
- 3 x Puma
- 3 x Chinook
- 1 x Lancaster, 2 x Spitfire, 2 Hurricane (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight)
- 1 x Phenom, 4 x Texan
- 3 x Hercules (C-130J)
- 1 x Atlas (A400M)
- 1 x Globemaster (C-17)
- 1 x Poseidon MRA1
- 1 x Rivet Joint
- 1 x Voyager, 2 x Lightning (F-35B), 2 x Typhoon
- 1 x Voyager, 4 x Lightning (F-35B)
- 4 x Hawk T2
- 15 x Typhoon
- 9 x Hawk T1 (Red Arrows)
