Scotland's capital city is to host a special event to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Robert Aldridge, said it wanted to create a fitting tribute to a, “truly historic event”.
West Princes Street Gardens will be the venue for a mass “picnic in the park” on Sunday June 5 as events take place across the UK to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign with a special extended bank holiday weekend.
Elsewhere in Scotland, Paisley Abbey will host a Beacon lighting ceremony at 2pm on June 2 on Paisley High Street while Perth Council has arranged a special concert at Perth Concert Hall but Glasgow will not host any official events.
The Queen has travelled to Balmoral for a short break ahead of the festivities.
The monarch has attended a number of high-profile engagements in recent weeks and it is understood the head of state is now pacing herself before the national events start.
In past years the Queen has usually visited her private Scottish home at the start of the summer and it is understood she arrived at her highland retreat on Thursday.
Scots are being invited to dust off their best picnic blanket for the free event in Ediburgh which will include live music performed by the world-famous Royal Marine Pipe Band and the Love Music Community Choir.
There will also be a special Edinburgh Festival Carnival parade, arranged for the occasion.
The live entertainment will begin from noon followed by a live broadcast of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in London on a giant screen in the gardens.
Master of Ceremonies for the afternoon will be BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) presenter Mark McKenzie.
As part of the celebrations the Royal Navy’s amphibious flagship will visit Edinburgh, berthing next to the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith.
Sailors and Royal Marines will attend ceremonies at Edinburgh Castle and the Princes Street Gardens party, while the ship will host a royal event and will open to visitors.
Albion as deployed to the Arctic at the start of the year for the largest NATO exercises in the region for 30 years.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to take part in Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in my home country of Scotland,” said Leading Engineering Technician Jordan Brown, from Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders.
“Her Majesty is ‘my boss’ so it’s nice to be able to honour her service and say thank you for her 70 years as our Queen.”
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge added: “The Platinum Jubilee is a truly historic event and it was important to find a fitting tribute here in the Capital for those who wish to come together and celebrate the occasion.”
A special extended Bank Holiday was granted to allow the British public to celebrate the Queen’s 70-year reign.
On June 2, Trooping the Colour, the sovereign’s official birthday parade, will kick start the four days of festivities, with the expectation the Queen will join working members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
There will be no ceremonial journey to the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday June 3, and the 96-year-old monarch will use a different entrance rather than scaling the steep steps.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to join members of the Royal family.
A personal highlight for the Queen will be her afternoon at Epsom racecourse for the Derby, although her three horses have been withdrawn from the race, and that evening Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert and a host of stars will perform at an open-air concert in front of the palace.
The weekend will end with street parties and Big Jubilee Lunches held across the country on Sunday, while in central London the Platinum Jubilee Pageant will see a 3km carnival procession make its way through the streets.
It will feature a cast of thousands, including puppets and celebrities and tributes to the seven decades of the Queen’s reign and for the finale Ed Sheeran will sing the national anthem in front of the Queen’s official residence.
With the Queen expected to appear on the balcony for Trooping, attend the cathedral service and the Epsom Derby, decisions on her appearances across the weekend are not likely to be confirmed until the day.
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