It has been an action-packed long weekend for the platinum jubilee, with Queen Elizabeth II appearing on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, flag-waving Windsors and an unexpected royal double act with a famous bear.
Here are some of the highlights from the four days of festivities.
The jubilee queen
After 70 years on the throne, the queen remains the leading lady with the crowds roaring and erupting into three cheers as she stepped on to the Palace balcony, not once but twice, on the first day.
But the brief appearances left the monarch tired.
Queen Elizabeth, 96, rallied to attend a special beacon lighting at Windsor Castle in the evening.
But the palace announced she would be missing the church service on the Friday.
Then, as the finale, she appeared on the balcony after the Pageant on Sunday, bringing the proceedings to a close.
Dressed in a vibrant green double crepe wool dress and coat, she was flanked by a "magnificent seven" of future kings and queens and great-grandchildren as the crowds sang the national anthem.
Scenes on The Mall
The Great British public took to the celebrations with gusto, with hundreds of thousands of flag-waving royal fans packing on to The Mall in central London.
Spring sunshine set the mood for jubilant scenes on Thursday as the crowds gathered in honour of the monarch after the Trooping the Colour spectacle on Thursday.
Louis steals the show
The youngest Cambridge sibling provided the entertainment and captured hearts from the palace balcony.
Louis, 4, let out a howl and covered his ears during the jubilee flypast, with his “Gan Gan” the queen sweetly interacting with her great-grandson, leaning down to chat to him and point out the planes.
He sat on his grandpa, the Prince of Wales’ lap at the jubilee pageant and gave his mum the Duchess of Cambridge a kiss on the cheek and a cuddle.
He stood on his chair, waved his hands in the air, wriggled around and stuck his finger in his ear during the show.
Day 4 of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations - in pictures
Beacons
A chain of more than 3,500 beacons stretching across the UK and around the Commonwealth were set ablaze late on the first evening, marking the jubilee in the time-honoured way.
Beacons lit around the world to mark Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee - in pictures
The principal beacon was a 21-metre living Tree of Trees sculpture towering above Buckingham Palace, symbolically lit by the queen from Windsor while the Duke of Cambridge watched in London.
The return of Harry and Meghan
It had been a while but the return of the Sussexes for the first time at an official public royal occasion since Megxit drew much media attention.
All eyes were on Prince Harry and Meghan at the service of thanksgiving in St Paul Cathedral on Friday.
But the reunion of Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge proved elusive, with the Sussexes sitting in the second row, far across the aisle from his father, brother and sister-in-law Kate.
Penguin feeding and leading the band
Members of the royal family toured the UK, with Anne, the Princess Royal, feeding penguins in Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland and Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, pulling a pint of Guinness during a trip to Bangor in Northern Ireland.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte made a surprise appearance at Cardiff Castle on their first official visit to Wales
The excited princess conducted the orchestra in a rendition of We Don’t Talk About Bruno from the Disney film Encanto, while Prince George played with the sound and lighting decks, as they met performers preparing for a jubilee concert at the castle.
The Queen and Paddington bear
The monarch delighted the nation when she starred alongside Paddington in a surprise comedy sketch and showed the bear from deepest, darkest Peru how she stored marmalade sandwiches in her famous black Launer handbag.
Offering a fresh insight into the Queen’s sense of humour and her wry wit, the secretly filmed skit played at the start of the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace on Saturday night, showed the pair enjoying a chaotic afternoon tea.
Royal sing-song
The Cambridges enjoyed the party atmosphere as the family sang along with the tunes at the jubilee concert.
Prince George belted out Sweet Caroline, while the Duke of Cambridge knew the words to Jason Donovan’s rendition of Any Dream Will Do.
Charles’s moving tribute
“You laugh and cry with us and, most importantly, you have been there for us,” Prince Charles told Queen Elizabeth in a moving thank-you toast at the televised concert.
Calling the monarch "Mummy", he took to the stage to praise the queen for her “lifetime of selfless service”.
He rallied the crowd into cheering the absent monarch who was 30 kilometres away at Windsor, saying if they were “loud enough she might, might just hear us”.
Stars of the show
Acts including Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys and Eurovision’s Sam Ryder were loudly cheered at the star-studded show.
Soul legend Diana Ross closed the open-air set, with her first live performance in the UK in 15 years.
Corgi drones
Drones flying over the Palace created a giant corgi in the sky and spelled out the message, “Thank you Ma’am” in lights, thrilling concert goers.
Big jubilee lunches
As many as 18 million people are believed to have gathered with their friends, families and neighbours for traditional jubilee street parties on Sunday for the final day of the celebrations
The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla mingled with guests at the flagship big jubilee lunch at The Oval cricket ground.
Prince Charles said he hoped “bickering” did not return after a feeling of “togetherness” across the nation over the weekend.
The Pageant
A cast of 6,000 performers took to the streets of central London, with the procession spared the rain.
Those attending enjoyed a parade of hundreds of “national treasures” including Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, and Sir Cliff Richard, with Ed Sheeran taking the stage at the end.
The Queen’s message
At the end of the weekend, the queen pledged to continue to serve as monarch “to the best of my ability supported by my family”.
It was an acknowledgment of her fragility but a commitment to continue as monarch.
She said in her written message that she was “humbled and deeply touched” by the public’s reaction to her 70 years, adding: “While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all.”
Royal fashion at platinum jubilee celebrations - in pictures
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5