The Queen will begin her Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK by visiting the city of Leicester, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh will travel to every region of the country as they celebrate the historic milestone.
Leicester’s City Mayor, Peter Soulsby, welcomed the announcement, saying: “I am very proud that Leicester will be the first stop on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Tour.
“Leicester has an excellent reputation for hosting celebrations, and I am confident we will give the Royal party a day to remember.”
The Diamond Jubilee tours will take the Queen and Duke from the Isle of Wight to Birmingham and from Merthyr Tydfil to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The royal couple will travel around the country, from March to July, by a range of means – car, royal train, aircraft and the ship Leander.
Details about Northern Ireland will be released at a later date, officials said.
After Leicester, the Queen will move on to Manchester and Salford before heading south – to North London, Redbridge, Walthamstow and Harrow.
From April 26, she will be in Wales and see Cardiff, Margam, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberfan, Ebbw Vale and Glanusk Park. On May 1 the royal party head to the South West of England to see Sherborne, Salisbury, Crewkerne, Yeovil and Exeter.
The Queen’s tour will end with South East England – Cowes, the Isle of Wight, the New Forest and Hampshire – on July 25.
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