Trooping the colour kicks off Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations

Prince of Wales takes salute on his mother's behalf while flag-waving crowd enjoys parade and flypast

Four days of festivities for the Queen's platinum jubilee kicked off on Thursday with a display of military pageantry, large crowds and a royal reunion, as the nation marked the 70th anniversary of the longest reigning monarch in British history at trooping the colour.

Seventy years after she took her first salute as sovereign, mobility issues dictated that the Queen break with tradition, allowing the Prince of Wales to take the salute on her behalf at Horse Guards Parade. He was joined by the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal.