Royals, dignitaries, and NHS workers attend service of thanksgiving for the Queen

Members of the Royal Family were joined by politicians, dignitaries and key workers at a service of thanksgiving for the Queen on Friday.

More than 400 people packed into St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the monarch's 70 year reign, but the Queen was absent from the service.

It was announced late on Thursday that she would not attend the ceremony after experiencing "some discomfort" during the previous day's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Instead, she was represented by her son and heir to the throne Prince Charles who, with wife Camilla, sat next to Prince William and wife Kate.

Prince Andrew did also not attend after it was announced he had tested positive for COVID the night before.

Among those who did attend the service were Boris Johnson and wife Carrie, who were booed and whistled at as they made their way into the building.

Labour leader Keir Starmer, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, former Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, and a selection of NHS key workers were recognised for their work during the pandemic also attended.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were cheered as they arrived, but sat separately from senior royals as a resut of relinquishing their royal duties in 2020.

After a hostile reception on arrival, Johnson addressed the congregation with a Bible reading.

The archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, had described his job of delivering the sermon as a “slightly terrifying gig”, having stepped in at the last minute after the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, tested positive for COVID-19.

As well as a host of famous faces, many key workers were invited to the service as a gesture of appreciation for their work during the pandemic.

Those invited in recognition of their service have all been recipients of honours in the New Year or Birthday Honours lists and their number also includes public servants and representatives from social enterprises and voluntary groups.

The thanksgiving service was part of a four-day celebration in honour of the Queen's jubilee.

Friday saw her attend Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace, before heading back to Windsor for a private lunch with her close family.

On Saturday, some of the world’s biggest stars will perform at Platinum Party at the Palace, a concert at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the most significant moments from the Queen’s reign.

Hosted by Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp, the gig will feature performances from the likes of Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers, Sir Elton John and Diana Ross.

On Sunday, more than 200,000 local events will take place across the country as part of the Big Jubilee Lunch, including screenings, street parties and picnics.

Themes being planned include red, white and blue and dancing through the decades with a world record attempt for the longest street party and the biggest Big Jubilee Lunch.

More than 600 Big Jubilee Lunches are also planned in more than 70 countries across the world, from Greenland to New Zealand.

Watch: Boris Johnson booed by crowd arriving at thanksgiving service for Queen's jubilee