Pomp, circumstance and thrills: the perfect homage to our Queen

Entertainment

Platinum Jubilee Celebration Windsor Castle

★★★★★

Three cheers: hip, hip, hooray – the great jubilee jamboree is underway. Yes, of course, next month sees a landmark four-day celebration of the Queen’s history-making 70-year reign. An entertainment bonanza at Buckingham Palace and an epic pageant are among the spectaculars planned for the extended bank-holiday weekend. But yesterday – beyond the walls, but within the grounds, of Windsor Castle – the Platinum Jubilee Celebration got things off to a thundering start; for two happy and glorious hours a crowd of about 4,000 were treated to a cavalcade of equine marvels and musical delights. In all about 500 horses and 1,000 performers achieved a spirited gallop across 400 years of British history.

The extravaganza is the chaser to this week’s daytime Royal Windsor Horse Show. The annual affair – the UK’s largest outdoor equestrian event, much favoured by Her Majesty – is noted for its entertainments but this pageant is of a different order. It runs across four evenings (albeit there was a charity preview), with different royals in attendance (last night the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester). It’s hoped that HM will be there for Sunday night’s finale, broadcast live on ITV; the biggest flourish of showbiz talent will be on hand, with a pop-up turn from Helen Mirren and Tom Cruise helping with the commentary. A gaggle, or giggle, of great-grandchildren – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – will appear in a horse-drawn carriage.