Ed Sheeran will lead the nation in a special tribute to The Queen as the Platinum Pageant reaches its finale during the Jubilee celebrations.
The award winning singer will be outside Buckingham Palace where it’s hoped tens of thousands on the Mall will join millions around the country in singing the national anthem as the pageant and the festivities draw to a close.
Sheeran is one of a number of stars lined up to take part in the Pageant which will be the focal point of the final day of Jubilee celebrations this June. Famous names including Bill Bailey, Gary Lineker and Sir Cliff Richard will also be involved.
The pageant will be staged in four acts. The first will see over 1,750 military personnel and 200 horses take part in a special parade beginning at Westminster Abbey. They are coming from across the UK and Commonwealth to take part in one of biggest military parades in London in decades.
Act two of the pageant is called ”The Time of Our Lives” and it will bring to life all seven decades of The Queen’s reign through music and dance as well as costume and crazes. Everything that defined each decade of the new Elizabethan era will be included in the show. Each ten year period will also have a special bus carrying star names linked to that period. The list of ‘national treasures’ includes Torvill and Dean and Basil Brush.
The third act, Let’s Celebrate, tells the story of The Queen’s reign in twelve segments. Each will focus on an important time in her life, such as her wedding or Coronation, or one of the things most important to her. The Queen’s deep religious faith will feature as will her passion for the natural world and for animals.
The pageant culminates with a fourth act called ”Happy and Glorious” which will include performances from Ed Sheeran as well as a chance for the country to pay tribute by joining in with the national anthem.
The Pageant Master, Adrian Evans, said ”We aim to make this a most magnificent occasion, one in which the nation can show its affection and appreciation to the Monarch. The Platinum Pageant is then, a ‘thank you’ to The Queen, a thank you from us all.”
The show’s director is David Zolkwer, who described the pageant as ”by and from the people. It’s about ordinary people coming together from far and wide to do extraordinary things; real people with delightful, authentic stories to tell; taking centre stage in a spectacular performance filled with wonder, warmth, wit and so much humanity. ”
The Platinum Pageant takes place on June 5th 2022.