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The Queen makes rare appearance at the unofficial kickoff of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations

The Queen makes rare appearance at the unofficial kickoff of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations

The Queen made a rare public appearance for the first major event of her Platinum Jubilee festivities at the weekend. While the Platinum Jubilee celebrations officially begin on 2 June, with a special Trooping the Colour, the Royal Windsor Horse Show marks the unofficial start of the festivities, and the Queen was in attendance at the performance on the last evening.

The performance, "A Gallop Through History," took spectators through the reign of Queen Elizabeth I through to the Coronation of the Queen. The broadcast featured numerous celebrity guests, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Helen Mirren, Joan Collins and Mo Farah.

The Queen's appearance at the show was not announced in advance.She was driven into the Windsor Horse Show's main arena in a Range Rover, escorted by the household cavalry as the National Anthem played. She wore a light blue dress with a grey shawl, and carried her favourite black handbag.

The arena erupted into cheers as she walked over to her seat using her cane:

She was all smiles from her seat:

Photo credit: Chris Jackson - Getty Images
Photo credit: Chris Jackson - Getty Images
Photo credit: Steve Parsons - PA Images - Getty Images
Photo credit: Steve Parsons - PA Images - Getty Images

The "A Gallop Through History" performance featured 1,300 performers and 500 horses, and was hosted by Tom Cruise, Damian Lewis, Adjoa Andoh and Alan Titchmarsh.

Photo credit: Chris Jackson - Getty Images
Photo credit: Chris Jackson - Getty Images

This was the Queen's second appearance in just three days: Her Majesty recently attended day two of the Royal Windsor Horse Show to watch her granddaughter Lady Louise Windsor compete, and cheer on her fell ponies. She is a regular attendee of the Royal Windsor Horse Show; it has been held annually since 1943, and she has yet to miss a year.


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