Cheeky Louis, Paddington Bear: Here are all the highlights from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have applauded Brits for a "fantastic weekend of celebrations" marking Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee - and joked about their son Prince Louis' cheeky reaction.

Prince William and his wife Catherine - previously known as Kate Middleton - attended a number of events over the four-day bank holiday weekend - bringing along their children Princes George, eight, and Louis, four, and Princess Charlotte, seven.

Photo / Getty

They have now offered up their thanks to everyone who got involved and for the outpouring of love for the monarch, writing in a post on Instagram: "What a fantastic weekend of celebrations. Seeing people across the nation coming together with family, friends and loved ones has been extremely special.

"Thank you to everyone who turned out to show their gratitude to The Queen and her inspiring 70 years of leadership."From the crowds on the Mall to communities hosting street parties up and down the country, we hope you had a weekend to remember."

 

They concluded the post with a jovial reference to their youngest son Louis, who was pictured pulling a number of hilarious faces during his time in the spotlight over the Jubilee weekend.

The royal pair wrote: "We all had an incredible time, especially Louis ... " adding a side-eye emoji.

One particular image of Louis showed the youngster with his hands clamped over his ears and his mouth open wide as he stood next to the Queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony during a fly-past.

The Duke and Duchess attended events including Trooping the Colour, the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, and the Platinum Party at the Palace, which featured performances from acts including Queen and Adam Lambert, Rod Stewart and George Ezra.

Alongside their Instagram message, the couple also shared pictures from behind-the-scenes over the weekend, including images of the couple with their children and snaps from a Kensington street party.

Earlier, Prince Charles also paid tribute to his "mummy" Queen Elizabeth at the Platinum Party at the Palace.

Addressing the crowd of 22,000 people and those watching around the globe, Charles said: "You have been with us in our difficult times. “And you bring us together to celebrate moments of pride, joy and happiness.

"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.

"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 - from your family, the country, the Commonwealth, in fact the whole world."

Charles was joined on stage by his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and spoke in front of a series of images documenting historic images from the Queen's remarkable reign.

He said: "These pictures on your house are the story of your life – and ours.

“So, Your Majesty, that is why we all say ‘thank you’.”

Elsewhere during the weekend, Queen Elizabeth made a surprise appearance with Paddington Bear in a sketch to mark her Platinum Jubilee.

The 96-year-old monarch delighted the audience by sharing tea with the famous fictional bear at Windsor Castle at the start of the Platinum Party at the Palace on Saturday.

The Queen was unable to attend the event but the sketch came as a surprise to some of her closest relatives. The monarch was determined to play some part to show the British public how much the celebrations have meant to her in a sketch that had echoes of her appearance with James Bond at the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "While the Queen may not be attending the concert in person, she was very keen that people understood how much it meant to her and that all those watching had a great time.

“Her Majesty is well known for her sense of humour, so it should be no surprise that she decided to take part in tonight’s sketch.

“There was an interest in the filming and animation process and the opportunity to invite a famous bear to tea was just too much fun to miss."

The sketch saw Her Majesty inviting Paddington for cream tea which goes wrong when the clumsy bear drinks the monarch's cup of tea and sprays a footman with cream from a chocolate eclair.

Paddington also showed the monarch that he keeps marmalade sandwiches under his hat, with the Queen revealing that she keeps some in her handbag.

Paddington then congratulates the Queen on her 70-year reign, saying:

"Happy Jubilee Ma’am. And thank you for everything."

The monarch replies: "That’s very kind."

The sequence ended with the Queen and Paddington using a spoon to tap the beat to Queen's 'We Will Rock You' on a china teacup as the rockers started the musical performances.

Later, The Queen is said to have also paid tribute to Prince Philip during her surprise appearance at the Platinum Jubilee finale.

Her Majesty wore a shade of the late Duke of Edinburgh’s favourite colour as she looked over The Mall from Buckingham Palace balcony at tens of thousands of cheering fans on Sunday. 

The 96-year-old was decked out in neon green, after wearing Edinburgh Green to the thanksgiving service for Philip’s life in March – held just over a year after his death aged 99 in April 2021.

Royal and fashion watchers say her choice of neon instead of the more sombre Edinburgh green suited the celebratory mood of the Jubilee, but was still a nod to her husband of 73 years.

She wore a similar shade in November 2021 while giving a speech to mark the Cop26 summit, also hailed at the time as a tribute to Philip.

The monarch appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony wearing a Stewart Parvin outfit on Sunday, consisting of a vibrant green double crepe wool dress and coat, adorned with the Bow Brooch.

It was finished with a Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat with a black pom-pom, pearl jewellery and white gloves.

Her colour choice was echoed by other royals, with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, 74, also wearing green on Sunday when she attended a Big Jubilee Lunch in south London.

The monarch thanked the nation for marking her 70 years on the throne and said she had been “humbled and deeply touched” by the shows of support.

- Bang! Showbiz