Thousands crowd London's Mall for Platinum Jubilee

Queen Elizabeth II stepped gingerly onto the Buckingham Palace balcony, drawing wild cheers from the tens of thousands who came to join her at the start of four days of celebrations of her 70 years on the throne.

Her fans sported Union Jack flags, party hats or plastic tiaras. Some had camped overnight in hopes of glimpsing of 96-year-old queen, whose appearances are becoming rare, and a chance to watch the Trooping the Colour — a military parade that has marked each sovereign's official birthday since 1760.

It was an explosion of joy in the massive crowd, one of the first big gatherings in the UK since the COVID-19 pandemic began.