The queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration included everything from Trooping the Color to a National Service of Thanksgiving, a star-studded concert led by Diana Ross, thousands of lunches and street parties across the country and a final appearance by the queen herself.
Here is how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Jun 01, 2022, 10:04 AM EDT
Queen Elizabeth returns to Windsor ahead of Platinum Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth had a bumpy flight back to England ahead of the four-day public celebration of her Platinum Jubilee. The queen’s flight from Scotland -- where she had enjoyed a four-day break at her Balmoral estate -- had trouble landing due to lightning.
“The Queen’s flight was delayed due to a lightning storm, all the correct procedures were followed and there were no safety concerns,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement.
The queen was later photographed being driven to Windsor Castle.
Queen Elizabeth II returns to Windsor Castle after her 4 day break in Balmoral, United Kingdom, May 31, 2022.
Shutterstock
Queen Elizabeth II returns to Windsor Castle after her 4 day break in Balmoral, United Kingdom, May 31, 2022.
Shutterstock
Queen Elizabeth is expected to make her first public appearance for the festivities on Thursday, when she joins members of the royal family at Trooping the Colour, her annual birthday parade.
Jun 01, 2022, 9:41 AM EDT
First lady Jill Biden sends personal message to Queen Elizabeth
First lady Dr. Jill Biden sent well wishes to Queen Elizabeth ahead of the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The message from Dr. Biden aired exclusively Wednesday on “Good Morning America.”
“Your Majesty, Joe and I wish you a wonderful celebration of your Platinum Jubilee,” Biden said. “Congratulations on 70 years of service to the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, and thank you for your enduring friendship with the American people.”
3:48
What Queen Elizabeth means to America
First lady Jill Biden shares a special message for the monarch ahead of the Platinum Jubilee.
ABCNews.com
Last year at Windsor Castle, Biden and her husband, President Joe Biden, visited Queen Elizabeth, who has met nearly every U.S. president elected during her 70-year reign.
Jun 01, 2022, 8:28 AM EDT
A look back at Queen Elizabeth II’s past Jubilee celebrations
A jubilee celebrates a significant milestone in the life and reign of a monarch.
Over the course of her 70 years on the throne, the longest reign in Britain’s history, Queen Elizabeth II has celebrated five jubilees prior to this one, her Platinum Jubilee.
4:41
A look at past jubilees as Queen Elizabeth marks 70 years on the throne
ABC News has covered every celebration, from the Silver Jubilee celebrating 25 years of her reign in 1977 to the floating musical parade of the Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
ABCNews.com
In 1977, the queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee, marking 25 years on the throne. She and her husband, the late Prince Philip, marked the occasion by traveling tens of thousands of miles throughout the U.K. and the Commonwealth on jubilee tours.
Queen Elizabeth ll greets the public during a Silver Jubilee walkabout on Jan. 1, 1977 in London.
Anwar Hussein/Getty Images, FILE
Fifteen years later, in 1992, Elizabeth celebrated her Ruby Jubilee, marking her 40th anniversary as a monarch. She did not host public jubilee events that year, which she later described in a speech as “Annus Horribilis,” or “horrible year,” due to a fire at Windsor Castle and the end of three of her children’s marriages.
Queen Elizabeth wearing Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara at a state banquet at Schloss Augustusburg, Bruhl, Germany, Oct. 19, 1992.
Tim Graham/Getty Images
In 2002, Elizabeth celebrated her Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years on the throne. The queen and Philip again traveled throughout the U.K. and the Commonwealth for a celebration that culminated with a concert at Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth II smiles at wellwishers as she arrives at Falmouth Station, for the beginning of her nationwide Golden Jubilee tour, which is starting with a two-day visit to the West Country, on May 1, 2002.
Barry Batchelor/PA Images via Getty Images, FILE
In 2012, the queen marked her Diamond Jubilee with a boat pageant on the River Thames. The pageant featured hundreds of boats and an estimated 1 million people watching along the river.
Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by wellwishers during a visit to Kings Lynn Town Hall on Feb. 6, 2012 in Norfolk, England, while the Queen celebrates 60 years to the day since she became Monarch.
Wpa Pool/Getty Images, FILE
In 2017, the queen celebrated her Sapphire Jubilee, marking 65 years on the throne, the first time a British monarch had celebrated a 65-year reign. A series of royal gun salutes commemorated the anniversary across London.
Queen Elizabeth II poses for an image during a walkabout after a church service at St Peter and St Paul West Newton in Norfolk, on Jan. 5, 2017, the year when she celebates her Sapphire Jubilee.
Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images, FILE
Jun 01, 2022, 8:58 AM EDT
Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee gets an official emoji
Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, which marks her 70th year on the throne, has its own official emoji.
Fittingly, the emoji is that of a corgi, the queen’s favorite dog breed.
Elizabeth was gifted her first corgi, Susan, by her father, King George VI, when she was 18.
The queen is believed to have owned at least 30 corgis during her 70-year reign.
During those 70 years, Elizabeth’s corgis have been seen by her side in countless photos, videos and even official portraits.
