Yahoo News Queen delights Platinum Jubilee crowds with beaming balcony appearance
Watch: Queen watches Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace
The Queen delighted the huge crowds who turned out for her Platinum Jubilee as she watched the Trooping the Colour ceremony from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
The 96-year-old monarch beamed as she stood in the sunshine on Thursday afternoon, inspecting the troops taking part in the ceremony having declined to make the journey to Horse Guards Parade earlier in the day.
She was wearing the dusky dove blue Angela Kelly coat which she was wearing in a photograph released by Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
Questions had been raised about the level of participation the Queen would have in her Platinum Jubilee proceedings, due to concerns about her health.
But the monarch opted to watch proceedings from the Buckingham Palace balcony shortly after midday, accompanied by the Duke of Kent.
Read more: QUIZ! How well do you know Britain's Kings and Queens?
Earlier in the day, other senior members of the Royal Family had played their part in proceedings.
During the royal fly past minutes later on Thursday, wearing sunglasses, the Queen looked joyful as she surveyed the patriotic scenes, giving broad smiles as she enjoyed the aircraft display.
Eighteen royals including the Queen stepped out to watch the high-profile flypast, with the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis flanking the monarch.
The Queen leaned over to chat animatedly with her four-year-old great-grandson Louis, who at one stage covered his ears, and reacted with his mouth wide open and eyes tightly shut as the aircraft thundered overhead.
He was also spotted resting his chin on his hand and waving towards the sky.
The six-minute flypast of more than 70 aircraft, including Apache helicopters, Typhoons and The Red Arrows, flew over the Palace.
Fifteen RAF Typhoons paid a special tribute to the monarch’s record-breaking reign, flying in the formation of the number 70, prompting smiles from the Queen.
