The Queen will be treated to a celebrity-themed tribute this weekend, as her great-grandchildren prepare to join Dame Helen Mirren and Tom Cruise for an extravagant pageant in London on Sunday.
- The Queen's Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated with an extravagant pageant at the Royal Horse Show this weekend.
- Her Majesty's great-grandchildren will star in a Windsor Castle parade alongside Hollywood heavyweights, Dame Helen Mirren and Tom Cruise, on Sunday, May 15.
- In other royal news, the Queen shares ‘beautiful’ throwback snap as fans reflect on the devastating year it was taken.
The Queen's great-grandchildren will join Dame Helen Mirren and Tom Cruise for an extravagant pageant at the Royal Windsor Horseshow on Sunday, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
'A Gallop Through History' will pay tribute to Her Majesty's 70-year-long reign, as well as her love of equestrianism, less than a month before the Platinum Jubilee 2022 Bank Holiday kicks off.
The televised gala, which is scheduled to take place at Windsor Castle on May 15, will document the 96-year-old's journey from Elizabeth II to the beloved Queen we know her as today. Viewers can expect to see 500 horses and more than 1,300 performers perform four acts in honor of the monarch's public service over the past seven decades. Music provided by the National Symphony Orchestra will also feature.
Perhaps the most anticipated highlight of the show (aside from the Queen's presence, of course) is the inclusion of Her Majesty's great-grandchildren.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's three kids, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, have been confirmed as participants in the 'Gallop', marking their first collective public appearance since attending a pantomime at London's Palladium Theatre in December 2020.
The Cambridge kids at London's Palladium Theatre on December 11, 2020
The royal trio will share the spotlight on a horse-drawn carriage with Peter and Autumn Phillips' daughters, Savannah (11) and Isla (10) Phillips, as well as Zara and Mike Tindall's children, Mia (8), Lena (3), and one-year-old Lucas.
Princess Eugenie's son, one-year-old August Brooksbank, and Princess Beatrice's daughter, seven-month-old Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, will join their older cousins for the event—likely with the supervision of royal nannies. The children have already been captured on video rehearsing their performance, which will take place in the finale of the pageant.
Queen and the late Prince Philip with their great-grandchildren in 2018
One of the youngest of the Queen's grandchildren is also set to make an appearance at the event. Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex's eldest, Lady Louise Windsor, will pay tribute to Prince Philip by driving her late granddad's carriage at the horseshow, according to the Telegraph.
It remains unknown if the Sussexes' offspring, Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, are invited to accompany their cousins, but in light of the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won't join her on the Jubilee balcony, it looks unlikely.
Don't fear though, the pageant won't be short of A-list celebrities.
Tom Cruise, who will be filming in Britain at the time, has been confirmed to star in the extravaganza—much to the excitement of US royal fans.
The Hollywood actor apparently accepted the invitation straight away, having always had a soft spot for Her Majesty.
Tom Cruise will star in the Queen's Jubilee gala
"He’s a big fan of the Queen so it was a very easy pitch… He will play a significant role in the show before retiring to the royal box to watch the rest of the event with his plus-one," a source told the Times.
Dame Helen Mirren, who famously played the monarch in the 2006 film, The Queen, will also grace the pageant with her legendary presence. It's understood she will portray Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned from 1558 to 1603, for the upcoming role.
