Pomp and pageantry as Queen Elizabeth's 70th jubilee celebrations begin

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday made the first balcony appearance of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations to take a salute from her soldiers returning from Trooping the Colour.

The monarch watched the Guardsmen and officers parade by as thousands lined the Mall after witnessing the pomp and pageantry of the ceremony attended by various members of the royal family. Prince Harry and Megan Markle attended the celebrations but were not seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony as they are not working members of the royal family anymore

Four days of celebrations honouring the queen's 70 years on the throne have begun with a display of British military traditions stretching from the days of horse and cannon to the jet age.

Formal celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee began with Trooping the Color, an annual military review that has marked the sovereign’s official birthday since 1760.

The jubilee is being commemorated with a four-day holiday weekend.