London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Mar 09, 2026

Royals feeds penguins as Jubilee celebrations continue

Royals feeds penguins as Jubilee celebrations continue

Princess Anne visited Edinburgh Zoo on the second day of celebrations to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Street parties were also held across the country to honour the first monarch to reach the milestone.

On Thursday the festivities got under way with a Royal gun salute at Edinburgh Castle, before beacons were lit across the country.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon led tributes in Scotland and hailed the Queen's "selfless commitment to duty".

The Queen was also praised for "staying the course" as royals joined dignitaries at a thanksgiving service for the Platinum Jubilee at St Paul's Cathedral.

Referring to her love of horse racing, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said the 96-year-old monarch was "still in the saddle", even though she was not able to attend.

The Queen, who experienced "discomfort" during Thursday's events, watched the service from Windsor Castle.

Afterwards Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence travelled to Scotland where they fed penguins and met young Ukrainian refugees at Edinburgh Zoo.

The couple were in the Scottish capital as members of the royal family visited the nations of the UK over the long weekend to celebrate the Queen's milestone.

They visited the Penguins' Rock enclosure - which is home to gentoo, rockhopper and king penguins - and fed the residents with blue whiting from a bucket.

HMS Albion is in Edinburgh for the Jubilee weekend

Princess Anne pats an armadillo during her zoo visit


Earlier, the princess met children from Ukrainian orphanages who were taking part in an animal handling session with a snake and an armadillo in the zoo's Rainforest Room.

The children were rescued from the war-torn country and brought to Scotland with the help of the charity Dnipro Kids, formed by supporters of Hibernian Football Club.

While in Edinburgh, the couple will also visit HMS Albion and inspect a Guard of Honour before boarding the ship.

On the flight deck of the amphibious assault vessel, the princess will meet members of the ship's company and representatives from charities across Scotland supported by the Queen and Anne as patrons, before cutting a commemorative cake.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.

Residents in Glasgow's Kelvindale held a street party in the sunshine


To mark the Platinum Jubilee, the traditional bank holiday on the last Monday in May was moved to Thursday.

It has been followed by an extra bank holiday on Friday.

On the first day of celebrations beacons were simultaneously lit across the UK at 21:45.

The focal point in Scotland was Edinburgh Castle but teams from Walking With The Wounded also lit beacons at the summits of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike in England, Mount Snowdon in Wales and Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland.

Beacon events were also held at locations including Greenock in Inverclyde, Saltcoats in North Ayrshire, Dunnottar Castle at Stonehaven and at RAF Lossiemouth, where the celebrations featured a Military Wives Choir.

Among the notable local weekend events is a re-enactment of the Queen's 1953 Coronation in Kelso in the Scottish Borders on Saturday, featuring members of the local Scouts and Guides.

Musselburgh Race Course will top off a weekend of Jubilee racing with a special corgi derby on Sunday.

A distant relative of one of The Queen's own corgis, named Paddy from Port Seton, will take part.

And in Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, about 2,000 people are expected at a street party on Sunday which will see the town's St Cuthbert Street closed to traffic.

The main highlight in Edinburgh will be an open-air concert in West Princes Street Gardens on Sunday.

Members of the public are being encouraged to bring their picnic blankets for the free event, which starts at 12:30.

It will feature music by the HM Royal Marines Scotland band, Love Music Community Choir and a special Edinburgh Festival Carnival parade.


Orkney islanders have been celebrating the Queen's the Platinum Jubilee


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Declines UK Offer to Deploy Aircraft Carriers to Middle East Amid Iran Conflict
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Return to Australia After Seven Years for Philanthropic and Business Engagements
UK Government Signals Independence From Washington as Cooper Says Britain Does Not Agree With Trump on Every Issue
UK Experts Warn AI Chatbots Are Fueling Surge in Claims of Organised ‘Satanic’ Ritual Abuse
UK Political Parties Divided Over Strategy as Iran Conflict Reshapes Foreign Policy Debate
Britain Discloses Secret Military Repair Hubs Operating Inside Ukraine
Trump Says US No Longer Needs UK Carrier Support After Delayed Offer Amid Iran Conflict
Why Britain Has Become Involved in the US-Israel Military Campaign Against Iran
UK Gas Storage Falls to Under Two Days as Iran Conflict Jolts Global Energy Markets
UK Warned to Brace for Economic Shock as Iran War Drives Global Energy Price Surge
Starmer and Trump Hold First Call After Public Dispute Over Iran Conflict
UK Dentists Returned £1.3 Billion to Government as Shift Toward Private Care Accelerates
Expert Warns UK Must Build Emergency Food Stockpiles to Prepare for Climate Shocks or War
UK Plans Charter Flight to Evacuate British Nationals from Gulf as Regional Conflict Disrupts Air Travel
Families of Zimbabwe’s Liberation Fighters Call on Britain to Help Locate Skulls Taken During Colonial War
Iran’s Ambassador Warns Britain to ‘Be Very Careful’ Over Deeper Role in Expanding Middle East War
UK Military Leadership Defends Britain’s Defensive Role in Expanding Middle East Conflict
Four U.S. Strategic Bombers Arrive in Britain as Iran War Intensifies
Soham Murderer Ian Huntley Dies After Violent Attack in High-Security Prison
UK Lawmakers and Experts Condemn Scale of Overseas Human Remains Held in British Museums
Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Placed on Standby for Potential Deployment
United Kingdom Confirms U.S. Military Using British Bases for Operations Targeting Iranian Missile Sites
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
×