The Queen has symbolically lit her Jubilee Beacon in a ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Her Majesty looked well and in good spirits as she took part in the traditional event, just hours after Buckingham Palace confirmed she would no longer attend the Service of Thanksgiving for her reign on June 3 as she is experiencing some discomfort after a long day of events for her Jubilee.
Wearing bright green, and walking with the aid of a stick, The Queen made her entrance on to the Quandrangle at Windsor Castle as dusk began to fall on June 2. She was accompanied by the pageantmaster, Bruno Peek.
The Commonwealth of Nations Globe was presented to Her Majesty on a blue cushion. It contains stones from each of the highest peaks in the UK, symbolising her four Jubilees.
As a fanfare was sounded on trumpets, The Queen stepped forward to place her hand symbolically on the globe. It triggered a carpet of spiral lights which spread across the lawn. An identical path of lights was placed a the foot of the Principal Beacon, the Tree of Trees, on the Mall where the Duke of Cambridge oversaw ceremonial events. The lights in London made their way to the tree which suddenly illuminated against the darkening sky.
The lighting of the principal beacon was the trigger for other bonfires and beacons to be lit around the UK.
Beacons have been traditionally lit to mark major royal events for centuries. Over 3,000 beacons have been lit around the UK and Commonwealth for her Platinum celebrations.
