U.K. all decked out for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee
4 days of celebrations marking Elizabeth's 70 years on the throne begin Thursday
The United Kingdom will mark Queen Elizabeth's 70 years on the throne this week with four days of celebrations — from military parades and a church service, to street parties and a pop concert outside Buckingham Palace.
Elizabeth, 96, has been on the throne since she was 25, an ever-present figure in the U.K. and one of the most recognizable faces in the world.
Here's a look at the the decorations, the royal fans and the special events ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations that begin Thursday.
Outside Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus
People gather on The Mall looking toward Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial statue on Tuesday in London. The road is lined with Union Jacks and closed to traffic ahead of the Platinum Jubilee.
(Matt Dunham/The Associated Press)
Royal fan John Loughrey poses with a cutout of Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday in a tent he has put up to camp outside Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
(Henry Nicholls/Reuters)
People take pictures of the screen in Piccadilly Circus as it displays a countdown to the Platinum Jubilee, featuring two photos of the Queen, in London on May 27.
(Alberto Pezzali/The Associated Press)
Sightings of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth is given a tour by Keith Weed, president of the Royal Horticultural Society, of the floral displays at its Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 23.
(Paul Grover/Reuters)
The Queen is shown how to purchase a ticket as she unveiled a plaque to mark the completion of London's Crossrail project at Paddington station in London on May 17.
(Andrew Matthews/Reuters)
Elizabeth and guests watch the Royal Windsor Horse Show Platinum Jubilee Celebration at Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain, on May 15.
(Henry Nicholls/Reuters)
The Queen speaks with a worker as she arrives to watch horses competing on the second day of the horse show in Windsor on May 13.
(Toby Melville/Reuters)
Exhibits featuring Elizabeth
Members of staff hold the Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, painted by Andy Warhol in 1985, as part of an exhibition at Sotheby's in London on May 27.
(Alberto Pezzali/The Associated Press)
Sotheby's exhibitions celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee opened in London May 28, free to the public until July 15. The Queen (2022) by Oluwole Omofemi is on view.
(Tristan Fewings/Sotheby's/Getty Images)
Lightness of Being (2022) by Chris Levine is also on view at Sotheby's. The exhibition brings together important loans of aristocratic tiaras and royal portraiture of each of Britain's seven queens.
(Tristan Fewings/Sotheby's/Getty Images)
At Madame Tussauds in London, studio artists retouch wax models of the British Royal Family in a new grouping and outfits, ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on May 25.
(Toby Melville/Reuters)
(Toby Melville/Reuters)
The Queen at Legoland
Legoland modeller Freya Groom poses for a photo while placing a model of Queen Elizabeth in a vehicle near a model of Buckingham Palace at Legoland in Windsor on Tuesday.
(Peter Nicholls/Reuters)
A model of the Red Arrows is shown flying over a model of London.
(Peter Nicholls/Reuters)
A model of Elizabeth in a vehicle is pictured near a model of the Admiralty Arch landmark on The Mall.
(Peter Nicholls/Reuters)
Other public displays
Flower Tower, a display of more than 4,300 handmade knitted and crocheted flowers, is seen at All Saints Church, ahead of Platinum Jubilee celebrations, in Middleton Cheney, Britain, on May 26.
(Andrew Boyers/Reuters)
A yarn Queen Elizabeth with a corgi and accompanying guards is pictured above a post box in Hangleton near Hove, East Sussex, on Tuesday.
(Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)
A crocheted scene of Elizabeth standing inside a castle is seen on top of a post box in New Brighton, Britain, on May 9.
(Phil Noble/Reuters)
Royal fans and their memorabilia
Royal super-fan Margaret Tyler poses for a photograph with her collection of royal memorabilia in her "Jubilee room" at home in London on Monday. Her collection fills the ground floor of her house.
(Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)
Royal Family memorabilia collector Jan Hugo stands near a life-size figure of the Queen, surrounded by her collection that boasts over 10,000 pieces, in Nulkaba, Australia, on May 4. Hugo's is Australia's largest collection of royal memorabilia.
(Stefica Nicol Bikes/Reuters)