The Duke of Cambridge watched as the Tree of Trees sculpture at Buckingham Palace was bathed in light.
02 June 2022
The Queen has lit the first of her Platinum Jubilee beacons, sending a spark of light around the globe and heralding the start of celebrations throughout the Commonwealth.
With the touch of her hand the head of state illuminated a globe and sent a river of light from her Windsor Castle home to Buckingham Palace, where the Duke of Cambridge watched as the Tree of Trees sculpture was bathed in light.
The symbolic moment came at the end of the first day of the monarch’s celebrations marking her 70-year milestone, and was something she “greatly enjoyed”.
After acknowledging the salute of the servicemen and women who took part in Trooping the Colour, she returned to Buckingham Palace’s balcony and received the admiration of the crowds surrounded by her family as they watched the traditional flypast of aircraft.
But she experienced a recurrence of her “episodic mobility issues” and decided to cancel her appearance at the Thanksgiving Service for 70-year reign, being held at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.
As she walked from Windsor Castle’s Sovereign’s Entrance into the Quadrangle the Queen saw more than 100 people who live within the walls of the royal home and were invited to the event.
Peter McGowran, chief yeoman warder from the Tower of London, carefully placed the Commonwealth of Nations Globe on a stand that glowed purple.
The object – a globe of the world within a crown – has been kept at the tower for safety and other yeoman warders were in attendance.
After touching the symbol of the world, which sat on a cushion, the purple stand turned white and a river of purple lights spread across the Quadrangle and turned white in succession.
