BBC reports on tributes to Queen for Platinum Jubilee

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The nation is preparing to celebrate its longest-reigning British monarch as Queen Elizabeth II marks her Platinum Jubilee next month. The occasion has been given a special four-day bank holiday weekend from June 2 to 5, with several events due to take place.

Across the four days, public and community events, as well as national moments of reflection on the Queen’s 70 years of service, are planned.

The weekend will also see members of the Royal Family come together to celebrate and tour the UK to commemorate the event.

The official events begin on Thursday, June 2, with the Trooping the Colour, also known as the Queen’s official birthday parade.

The parade will finish with a traditional Royal Airforce fly-past watched by the Queen and working members of the Royal Family from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Beacons will also be lit across the country in churches, cathedrals, castles, on town and village greens, on country estates, parks, mountains and beaches.

On Friday, June 3, a service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Members of the Royal Family are also expected to accompany Her Majesty to the Derby at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 4.

In the evening a special live concert from Buckingham Palace will host music and entertainment stars alongside a live orchestra and actors to share the Queen’s stories.

On Sunday, June 5, communities are encouraged to take part in the Big Lunch event by hosting garden and street parties.

Later, a pageant with over  5,000 people across the UK and Commonwealth will conclude the Platinum Jubilee celebration.

Several events will be broadcast live on TV and available for the public to watch.

In addition to these events, communities up and down the country will be hosting local celebrations to mark the Jubilee.

So what do YOU think? Will you celebrate the Platinum Jubilee? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Jubilee POLL: Should Britons sing Sweet Caroline for the Queen? 

Listeners on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show voted for Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline to be the track sung at street parties on June 5.

Ms Ball hopes up to 10 million people would join in the nationwide singalong declaring the choice as “a song of togetherness”.

She said: “We’re hoping also that loads of grassroots music groups and choirs and school bands and brass bands will learn the song and perform it too.

“We really want to encourage the country to all come together.”

The iconic song was written in 1969 for Mr Diamond’s second wife Marcia Murphey.

It has since been adopted by the Massachusetts baseball team, Boston Red Sox and England football and cricket fans.

The song was the clear winner, beating other suggestions of Paul McCartney’s We All Stand Together and Queen’s We Are The Champions.

So what do YOU think? Should Britons sing Sweet Caroline for the Queen? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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