The Queen begins her Platinum Jubilee celebrations with a tea party at Sandringham House

The Queen began her Platinum Jubilee celebrations yesterday as she welcomed local community groups at Sandringham House, for a tea party.

• Sunday 6th February officially marks 70 years of reign by Queen Elizabeth II
• She spent yesterday's party meeting members from the Sandringham Women’s Institute and pensioners from the Sandringham Estate
• In other royal news, The Queen has announced that Camilla will get this special title if Charles becomes King

On the eve of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, The Queen made a rare public appearance, joining local volunteers for a tea party at Sandringham House.

Dressed in a baby blue Angela Kelly dress and holding a walking stick the royal met guests who included charity workers, children, and local pensioners.

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee will mark the monarch's 70th year on the throne. Her Majesty, who has already celebrated her Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees, is set to become the first-ever British monarch to reach the impressive milestone. 

At yesterday's tea party Her Majesty was also given a Loyal Address and Platinum Jubilee Mosaic, which was made by West Norfolk school children.

The royal looked in good spirits as she smiled and chatted to guests at the party, while she also met Angela Wood, one of the chefs that helped make Coronation Chicken when she was officially crowned in 1953.

An Instagram post yesterday also showed the Queen looking through a selection of Jubilee cards, letters and artwork sent to her by children and adults over the last 45 years.

The post, which has had nearly 500,000 likes, went on to say, "In 2002 for the Golden Jubilee, 9 year-old Chris sent Her Majesty ‘A Recipe for a Perfect Queen’." The ingredients included, "a dash of loyalty’, ‘a handful of royal waves', ‘a cup of courage."

More celebrations will take place in June for the Queen's massive milestone—which will land over the bank holiday.

The four-day affair will start with the Trooping the Color —which will involve a parade of 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians. The celebration over the weekend will also include a star-studded concert at Buckingham Palace on the Saturday, with world-class acts expected to appear.