Great weather for the Queen: tens of thousands of people celebrated the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's throne in London.

Cheers erupted loudly when the 96-year-old appeared twice on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in the city center.

In a powder blue dress, the monarch accepted the homage with a smile, and she wore sunglasses on the second appearance.

Closest family at her side

In bright sunshine, the start of the four-day anniversary celebrations was the focus of the British armed forces.

The military honored its commander-in-chief with the traditional "Trooping the Color" parade, a formation flight of more than 70 planes and helicopters and dozens of gun salutes.

At the Queen's side were her closest family members, such as son and heir to the throne Prince Charles and grandson Prince William, also a future king, and their families.

Charles and William had previously represented the Queen at the parade with Queen's daughter Princess Anne - all in gala uniform.

But on the balcony, a little guest of the queen stole the show.

Prince Louis (4), the youngest son of William and Duchess Kate, made faces and covered his ears during the loud "Flypast" of the Royal Air Force.

Smiling, the Queen leaned down to her great-grandson and chatted with him.

In a sailor suit, Louis recalled his father William's appearance at the 1985 military parade. His older brother Prince George (8) wore a suit and tie, while his sister Charlotte (7) wore a dress.

The children had already caught everyone's attention as they made the short journey from the Palace to the Horse Guards Parade parade ground in an open-topped carriage with mother Kate and Queen's daughter-in-law Duchess Camilla, Charles' wife.

The royal state of emergency prevails in the United Kingdom until Sunday.

The Queen thanked her countrymen in advance for the celebration.

"I know that many beautiful memories will be created on these festive occasions," it said in a message.

Before the military parade, there was an incident on the Grand Boulevard Mall when four activists from the animal rights group Animal Rebellion broke through the barriers and threw themselves on the ground in front of a band.

Police arrested the men.

At the parade, the Queen, who recently had "mobility problems" again and again, was represented by Prince Charles.

Surprisingly, Queen's grandson Prince Harry and his wife Duchess Meghan also watched the military show.

The visit of the couple who had emigrated to the United States had caused fear of a “Sussex bomb”, especially in the conservative British media – that Meghan and Harry, who were recently accompanied by a Netflix film team, could overshadow the anniversary with selfish appearances.

Now the signs point more to a family peace.

Because the couple is also expected on Friday at a thanksgiving service in London's St. Paul's Cathedral and on Saturday evening at a big party with music stars and celebrities at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen sent her limousine to pick up her grandson and family from the airport, British newspapers reported.