Britain tucks into a Big Jubilee Lunch: Prince Charles tells guests at The Oval he hopes 'bickering' does not return after a weekend of 'togetherness'... as 12MILLION parties are thrown across the country to celebrate the Queen's 70-year reign
- Prince Charles and Camilla have taken their seats at the Big Jubilee Lunch at the Oval in London
- Millions to gather for 85,000 Big Lunches today as Jubilee draws to a close with Platinum Pageant
- The Mall is today looking spick and span after a swift post-Platinum Party overnight clear-up
- It is not known if the 96-year-old monarch will make an appearance at today's procession
- Charles, Camilla, and William and Kate are expected to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony
- ***Follow MailOnline's live coverage of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations HERE***
- Latest Platinum Jubilee news as the Queen celebrates 70 years of service
By JACK WRIGHT and KAYA TERRY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 20:02 AEST, 5 June 2022 | UPDATED: 22:16 AEST, 5 June 2022
Guests at the lunch have said that the future king remarked: 'When it comes to Monday are we going to go back to all the bickering again? Let's hope we don't do that.'
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Sarah Friar, CEO of neighbourhood app Nextdoor, said of Charles: 'He said at the end how great it was that everyone comes together this weekend.' Gemma Snow, from the Eden Project, was sitting next to the Prince of Wales at the lunch for a few minutes and said he talked about 'keeping that togetherness going' after the bank holiday weekend.
He also described last night's Buckingham Palace concert - at which he gave a moving, personal tribute to 'Mummy' - as 'marvellous'.
Charles and Camilla are expected to then join Prince William and Kate Middleton and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the 2½-hour £15million Jubilee pageant from 2.30pm this afternoon.
It is hoped but not known if Her Majesty, 96, will make an appearance today, after she pulled out of two Jubilee events amid concerns for her health. Royal superfans will be nevertheless treated to holograms of the Queen beamed onto the Gold State Coach as it is paraded through central London, making it seem as if the monarch is in the carriage.
Some 10,000 people including a cast of 6,000 performers are involved in staging the spectacular two-mile carnival route from Horse Guards, along Whitehall to Admiralty Arch and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, echoing Her Majesty's 1953 coronation procession.
Elsewhere today, the Earl and Countess of Wessex joined thousands of the Queen's neighbours for a record breaking 'long lunch' on the Long Walk outside the gates of Windsor Castle on the final day of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Members of the local community, 70 volunteers who have been recognised as Platinum Champions through the Royal Voluntary Service's Platinum Champions Awards, celebrity ambassadors and various charity representatives will be among the guests at the Oval.
Celebrities David and Victoria Beckham, Ross Kemp, Gareth Southgate, Prue Leith and Ellie Simmonds have all urged people to throw the biggest thank you party for the Queen. More than 600 Big Jubilee Lunches are being planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond - from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan and South Africa to Switzerland.
Royal superfans are set to brave the elements on the final day of the Jubilee weekend, amid fears today's pageant will be battered by thunderstorms.
As Britain celebrates the Queen's Platinum Jubilee:
- Charles said he hoped that the 'bickering' will stop after the Jubilee generated a feeling of 'togetherness' across the country;
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrated Lilibet's 1st birthday yesterday at Frogmore Cottage. They did not attend the Platinum Party at the Palace, and it is not known if the Sussexes have been invited to the Platinum Jubilee Pageant;
- William and Kate have shared adorable photos of their children George, Charlotte and Louis baking cakes for a Cardiff street party;
- It is not known if the Queen will make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony today at the end of the pageant. She has pulled out of two Jubilee events in a row, citing 'mobility issues'. Her Majesty, 96, has been using a walking stick.
Prince Charles and Camilla marvel at a 20ft tea table made entirely of felt at the Big Jubilee Lunch at the Oval on June 5, 2022
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall toast the Queen at the Oval in London, June 5, 2022
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall takes her seat at the Big Lunch at the Oval in South London, June 5, 2022
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, stand next to decorations at The Oval cricket ground as they attend a Big Jubilee Lunch in London, June 5, 2022
Charles and Camilla at The Oval in South London on the fourth day of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, June 5, 2022
Charles and Camilla attend the Big Jubilee Lunch At The Oval on June 5, 2022 in London
Charles and his wife Camilla arrive at The Oval cricket ground to attend a Big Jubilee Lunch, June 5, 2022
Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend the Big Jubilee Lunch At The Oval on June 5, 2022
Charles and Camilla inspecting the spectacular Big Jubilee Lunch in The Oval, South London, June 5, 2022
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall attend the Big Jubilee lunch at The Oval, Kensington, June 5, 2022
Princess Beatrice (centre) and Princess Eugenie are presented with flowers as they arrive at the Big Jubilee Lunch organised by Westminster Council for local volunteer and community groups who helped during the Covid-19 pandemic, at Paddington Recreation Ground, London, on day four of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Sunday June 5, 2022
Preparations for a Jubilee party as Goring in Oxfordshire and Streatley in Berkshire plan to join together to create a 0.6 mile long party to celebrate the Queen's 70-year reign
Revellers attend a street party at Market Street, in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, June 5, 2022
Spectators cross the Mall, ahead of the start of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, June 5, 2022
A reveller opens a bottle of prosecco during a street party in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in central England on June 5, 2022
A reveller dressed-up like a Queen Foot Guard takes care of the table decorations during a street party in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in central England on June 5, 2022
People gather during a public street party in Ebury Street in central London, Sunday June 5, 2022
Prince Charles shakes hands as he attends the Big Jubilee Lunch with Camilla at The Oval on June 5, 2022
Charles laughing as he attends the Big Jubilee Lunch At The Oval on June 5, 2022
Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, look at decorations at The Oval cricket ground, June 5, 2022
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend the Big Jubilee Lunch At The Oval on June 5, 2022 in London
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, react as they attend a Big Jubilee Lunch at The Oval
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, cuts a cake as she and Prince Charles attend a Big Jubilee Lunch at the Oval, June 5, 2022
Camilla is wearing an emerald green embroidered coat dress by Fiona Clare at The Oval, June 5, 2022
Charles speaks with Lindsey Brummitt, Programme Director of The Big Lunch (centre) at the Oval, June 5, 2022
Guests wait for the arrival of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, as Patron of the Big Lunch, at the Big Jubilee Lunch with tables set up on the pitch at The Oval cricket ground, London, Sunday June 5, 2022
A general view of food ahead of the visit by Prince Charles, Prince Of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall to the Big Jubilee Lunch at The Oval on June 5, 2022
A general view of a sign ahead of the visit by Prince Charles, Prince Of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall to the Big Jubilee Lunch at The Oval on June 5, 2022 in London
Charles attends a Big Jubilee Lunch at The Oval cricket ground in London, June 5, 2022
Camilla smiling and laughing as she attends The Oval cricket ground in London, June 5, 2022
Camilla receives flowers as she and Prince Charles attend the Big Jubilee Lunch at The Oval on June 5, 2022
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the Oval in South London, June 5, 2022
Camilla and Prince Charles make their way around the tables as they attend the Big Jubilee Lunch, June 5, 2022
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall attend the Big Jubilee lunch at The Oval, Kensington, June 5, 2022
A Jubilee street party in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire thrown to celebrate the Queen's reign, June 5, 2022
People pose for photos at a lunch in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire thrown to celebrate the Queen's reign, June 5, 2022
Revellers attend a street party in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in central England on June 5, 2022
People set up the tables for the Big Jubilee Lunch on The Long Walk in Windsor on June 5, 2022
People set up the tables for the Big Jubilee Lunch on The Long Walk in Windsor on June 5, 2022
People set up the tables for the Big Jubilee Lunch on The Long Walk in Windsor on June 5, 2022
People gather for the Big Jubilee Lunch on The Long Walk in Windsor on June 5, 2022
Food and drinks including the Victoria Sponge Cake are displayed on a a table at street party in Market Street, in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in central England on June 5, 2022
A Union Jack bearing a portrait of the Queen hangs with bunting and balloons as people gather for the Big Jubilee Lunch on The Long Walk in Windsor on June 5, 2022
Princess Beatrice (centre) and Princess Eugenie (left) playing on the bowling alley during the Big Jubilee Lunch organised by Westminster Council for local volunteer and community groups who helped during the Covid-19 pandemic, at Paddington Recreation Ground, London, on day four of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Sunday June 5, 2022
Princess Beatrice (centre) and Princess Eugenie trying their hand at plate spinning during the Big Jubilee Lunch organised by Westminster Council, June 5, 2022
Wet and grey conditions on The Mall in Westminster ahead of the Jubilee Pageant, June 5, 2022
A royal themed float due to be used in the Pageant waiting in Westminster this morning, June 5, 2022
Left, rubbish left on The Mall overnight after the Platinum Party at the Palace. Right, a police officer takes a photograph for a group of men on The Mall in London, June 5, 2022
Some 10,000 people including a cast of 6,000 performers are involved in staging the spectacular two-mile carnival route from Horse Guards, along Whitehall to Admiralty Arch and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace
Police officers patrol in wet and grey conditions on The Mall in Westminster, June 5, 2022
Royal enthusiasts wearing ponchos in The Mall in Westminster ahead of the Pageant, June 5, 2022
Mechanical horses named after horses owned by the Royals in Westminster, June 5, 2022
Colourful buses due to be used in the Pageant waiting in a side street in Westminster, June 5, 2022
A group of young dancers practice ahead of the Jubilee Pageant, June 5, 2022
Vintage vehicles due to be used in the pageant wait on Horse Guards Parade, June 5, 2022
Silver London cabs due to be used in the pageant in Westminster, June 5, 2022
A speaker system erected in front of the Houses of Parliament, June 5, 2022
Meghan and Prince Harry attending the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on June 3, 2022
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte during their visit to Cardiff Castle to meet performers and crew involved in the Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert. Saturday June 4, 2022
Prince Charles' speech at the Platinum Party at the Palace in full
The Prince of Wales took to the stage to pay a moving tribute to the Queen at the Jubilee concert.
Here is the full text of his address:
'Your Majesty, Mummy,
'The scale of this evening's celebration - and the outpouring of warmth and affection over this whole Jubilee weekend - is our way of saying thank you, thank you from your family, the country, the Commonwealth, in fact the whole world.
'On behalf of us all, I wanted to pay my own tribute to your lifetime of selfless service, in pictures, in words and in light.
'Your family now spans four generations. You are our Head of State. And you are also our mother.
'Your 'strength and stay' is much missed this evening but I am sure he is here in spirit... My Papa would have enjoyed the show and joined us wholeheartedly in celebrating all you continue to do for your country and your people.
'Looking back, we think of the countless State occasions that are milestones along this nation's road. And you will think of red boxes, filled with Government papers, at the end of the day.
'You will remember those who have led this country. Indeed, all the countries you serve. And leaders across the entire world.
'How things have changed... We think of all you have done to make the Commonwealth such an important force for good. You continue to make history.
'And there was still time for fun amongst the work. We might have been celebrating that Derby winner this evening... next year perhaps?
'But I know what really gets my mother up in the morning is all of you ladies and gentlemen, all of you watching at home. Represented here tonight in this great audience.
'Your Majesty, you have been with us in our difficult times. And you bring us together to celebrate moments of pride, joy and happiness.
'Maybe this year it really is coming home.
'You have met us and talked with us. You laugh and cry with us and, most importantly, you have been there for us, for these 70 years.
'You pledged to serve your whole life - you continue to deliver. That is why we are here. That is what we celebrate tonight.
'These pictures on your house are the story of your life - and ours. So, Your Majesty, that is why we all say 'thank you'.'
'Now, ladies and gentlemen, I know the Queen is watching these celebrations which much emotion, having, I hope, finished her marmalade sandwich, including immense regret that she cannot be here in person with us this evening.
'But Windsor Castle is barely 20 miles away so if we cheer loudly enough, she might, might just hear us. So let's all join together.'
Last month Camilla told the Mail of her passion and determination to get as many members of the public out to celebrate as possible.
'It's just wonderful to get people back together again, isn't it?' she said. 'It's a lovely way to celebrate, it's a lovely way to get to know your neighbours and to have a lot of delicious food and chat.'
Around 3,000 people, mainly from Windsor and surrounding areas attended the lunch, sitting at a line of 488 picnic tables that measured 800 metres long, making it the largest street party in the UK over the four-day festive period.
Prince Edward and his wife Sophie walked along the long line of picnic tables to speak with enthusiastic local revellers, who did not let the gloomy weather dampen their spirits.
Decked out in red, white and blue clothing, Union Jack hats and waving pictures of the Queen, picnic goers braved the windy weather and overcast skies to commemorate her 70 years on the throne.
They had to bring their own food and munched on sandwiches, crisps and even roast dinners as they sipped an assortment of drinks, from quintessential British tea to champagne as they watched the Jubilee Pageant on giant screens that had been erected on the Long Walk.
Thousands of others not lucky enough to win tickets for seats at the picnic tables, which were allocated via a ballot and given out for free, laid out their own blankets nearby as they joined in with the festivities.
Organisers claimed that the 800-metre-long line of picnic tables was not an official world record as they were not laid out in one continuous line and had small breaks between them.
Lisa Hunt, event manager said: 'We could have gone for the world record but that's not what this picnic is about.
'It's amazing that so many people have come out to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. It just shows you how we feel about her. It's our way of saying thank you for her devoted services. This is a big thank you from the local community to Her Majesty but the whole country feels the same way.'
Revellers were entertained by street performers and singers as they partied through the afternoon.
On Saturday, around 50,000 people attended a free, open air party along the Long Walk, the iconic three-mile-long avenue that leads up to Windsor Castle.
Debbie Reynolds gushed: 'It's been a fantastic couple of days. We live nearby and it's fantastic that the Queen has allowed us to celebrate in what effectively is her back garden.
'I've got lots of food and drink and am just soaking in the atmosphere. It doesn't matter if the weather's not great because we are British and we don't let that affect us.'
Josh Simons who was at the picnic with his family said: 'This is a great coming together of the whole nation. It's been fantastic to be in Windsor over the last couple of days and all the community has come together to celebrate with our very famous neighbour.
'The Queen is at the heart of Windsor and Britain. We are proud to be part of this town and show the world what this great country is all about.'
Rani Singh, who was seated at table with friends and neighbours said: 'It's been a great four days and really wonderful to see all of Britain's diverse communities taking part in these celebrations.
'We live in Windsor and feel honoured that we've got a famous neighbour like the Queen. We're lucky to have her, she's done a wonderful job over the past 70 years.'
Peter Stewart, executive director of the Eden Project, where the idea for The Big Lunch comes from, told the Daily Mail: 'Despite hard copies running out, demand for our digital packs is pushing that number up, so we think our estimates of more than 12million joining in on the weekend is modest.
'That's possible because of National Lottery support and the patronage of HRH Duchess of Cornwall, who has been behind us every step of the way.'
Mr Stewart was at pains to stress that people wishing to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee do not have to organise a formal event – even pulling up a chair and inviting neighbours over for a slice of cake will do.
The important thing, he said, was to stretch out a hand of friendship and be part of a 'historical national event'.
Two neighbouring villages from adjoining counties are hoping to break the world record for the longest jubilee street party.
Goring, in Oxfordshire, and Streatley, in Berkshire, plan to create a kilometre-long (0.6 mile) celebration, with more than 500 tables spanning the full length of both village high streets.
In Morecambe, Lancashire, the town council's party will see 300 tables stretched across the famous promenade – past the famous Eric Morecambe statue unveiled by the Queen in 1999.
People get into the spirit of celebration at Fore Street, Saltash in Cornwall, June 5, 2022
A reveller dressed in a Union Jack suit waves a Union flag at a street party in Saltash, Cornwall, June 5, 2022
A dressed-up reveller poses with his dog as he attends a street party in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in central England on June 5, 2022
Revellers attend a street party in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in central England on June 5, 2022
Happy revellers dress in patriotic reds, whites and blues at a street party in Ashby-de-la-Zouch on June 5, 2022
People smile for photos and tuck into food and drinks as they celebrate the Jubilee in Ashby-de-la-Zouch on June 5, 2022
Revellers attend a street party in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in central England on June 5, 2022
People attend the Big Jubilee Lunch on The Long Walk in Windsor on June 5, 2022
Revellers dress in Union reds, whites and blues at the Big Jubilee Lunch on The Long Walk in Windsor on June 5, 2022
People get into the spirit of celebration at Fore Street, Saltash in Cornwall, June 5, 2022
Revellers sitting at a long table on Fore Street, Saltash in Cornwall on June 5, 2022 pose for photos
People get into the spirit of celebration at Fore Street, Saltash in Cornwall, June 5, 2022
The Prince of Wales accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, speaking on stage during the Platinum Party at the Palace staged in front of Buckingham Palace, London, Saturday June 4, 2022
Prince George and Prince William smiling and laughing in the royal box at the Platinum Party at the Palace, June 4, 2022
Royal fans watch as Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, appear on stage during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee concert in front of Buckingham Palace, in London, June 4, 2022
The Prince of Wales accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, speaking on stage during the Platinum Party at the Palace staged in front of Buckingham Palace, London, Saturday June 4, 2022
The Duke of Cambridge during the Platinum Party at the Palace, Saturday June 4, 2022