Queen lights beacon to close first day of Platinum Jubilee celebrations
STORY: The ceremony saw a carpet of lights pass from Windsor to Buckingham Palace to light up a tree making up the beacon's centrepiece, while her grandson Prince William watched on.
Beacons were lit in more than 2,000 towns, villages and cities across Britain and in the capital cities of Commonwealth countries.
On Thursday, Britain kicked off four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate her record-breaking 70 years on the British throne.
Elizabeth has been on the throne for longer than any of her predecessors, and is the third-longest reigning monarch ever of a sovereign state. Opinion polls show she remains hugely popular and respected among British people.
