Pop royalty to play for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations continue with a star-studded concert in front of Buckingham Palace.
Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Sir Elton John are among the artists, while Madness will perform on the roof.
The concert, which starts at 7.30pm, also includes Robbie Williams, Ed Sheeran, JLS, Kylie Minogue, Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J, Dame Shirley Bassey and Annie Lennox.
And it will feature a special song – sung by 200 people from around the Commonwealth – co-written for the occasion by Gary Barlow and Lord Lloyd Webber.
The audience will comprise of people who got tickets in a public ballot and those from charities with royal links.
Network of beacons
At the end of the show, the Queen will light one of the last of around 4,500 beacons across the globe – in celebration of her 60-year reign.
Beacons will be lit throughout the evening in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, the Commonwealth and other overseas territories.
Bruno Peek, pageantmaster of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee beacons, said: “We set out to have 2,012 beacons, which would have been the most ever for this type of occasion.
“To have reached double that figure reflects the national and worldwide respect and affection for the Queen and the desire to celebrate her 60-year reign.”
The network of beacons across the UK will be placed on historic landmarks, hill-top vantage points and famous mountains.
The concert follows Sunday’s spectacular River Thames pageant which attracted hundreds of thousands of rain-soaked people to watch the flotilla of 1,000 vessels.
The Queen travelled in a barge alongside senior members of the royal family as street parties were held around the country.
Read more: The Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Better weather
And the weather promises to be better, following the downpours that marred Sunday’s festivities.
Andy Ratcliffe, a forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: ”There will be some lingering rain in the capital early this morning but today’s weather should be much better than the dank, drizzly conditions which hampered yesterday’s celebrations.
”It will be a damp start but the rain should clear by around 10am to leave some bright spells and scattered showers.
”By the time the concert starts the rain should have totally cleared and there is a good chance it will be sunny.”