Queen Elizabeth II Kicks Off Diamond Jubilee at Epsom Derby

U.K.'s famed monarch continued the celebration of her 60 years as queen at the annual horse-racing extravaganza

By Brandi Fowler Jun 02, 2012 6:27 PMTags
Queen Elizabeth IIBen Stansall - WPA Pool /Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II sure knows how to celebrate a milestone.

After months of marking her 60th anniversary as the U.K.'s monarch with festivities around the country, the 86-year-old queen kept the merriment going with a special trip to the Epsom Derby Saturday, kicking off the first major event of her Diamond Jubilee weekend.

And it was quite the royal affair…

While the queen's hubby, Prince Phillip, arrived with her, the Queen's granddaughters, wacky fascinator-loving Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were also in tow for the big race, as was their father Prince Andrew and the Queen's other son, Prince Edward.

Dancing With the Stars runner-up Katherine Jenkins was also on hand for the derby, and while she didn't cut a rug near the tracks, the Welsh vocalist did sing for the royals, crooning an operatic rendition of the country's national anthem, "God Save the Queen," according to The Toronto Star.

"I would have stood there in the pouring rain to have sung that, it was such an honor," Jenkins told the site. "This is definitely a day I will never forget. There's such a sense of celebration in the air, everybody's really proud and happy and, I think, inspired by this."

Latest News