Ed Sheeran to crown queen’s jubilee party

British superstar Ed Sheeran brings the curtain down on Sunday on four days of momentous nationwide celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s historic Platinum Jubilee, in a finale filled with picnics, pomp and pop.

The multi-award-winning singer-songwriter will wrap up a day-long pageant lauding the 96-year-old monarch’s record seven decades on the throne, as the long weekend of festivities featuring a multitude of tributes across the UK concludes.

Sheeran is one of numerous “national treasures” poised to perform a “special tribute” to the queen against the backdrop of Buckingham Palace to mark a milestone never previously reached by a British sovereign.

Meanwhile, millions of people are expected to defy gloomy weather forecasts for much of the country and attend “Big Jubilee Lunch” picnics, including an attempted world record for the longest street party.

It remains unclear if the queen will attend any parts of the pageant in person, after being forced to skip several Platinum Jubilee celebration appearances due to mobility issues.

At a music concert outside the palace on Saturday night, the monarch made a surprise on-screen appearance, taking tea with the beloved children’s book and film character Paddington Bear.

In the pre-recorded scene she tapped out the drumbeat of rock band Queen’s “We Will Rock You” -- the concert’s opening number -- on a fine china teacup and saucer to get the party started.

The official programme kicked off on Thursday with the pomp-filled Trooping the Colour military parade. The queen made two public appearances to huge crowds on the Buckingham Palace balcony, followed by another later in Windsor.

Sunday’s four-part “Platinum Jubilee Pageant” starts with a military spectacle celebrating the armed forces, along with personnel from many of the other 53 Commonwealth countries that the queen heads.Sheeran went on to perform at the queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert 10 years ago.