Queen arrives back in Windsor for Jubilee after storm forces her plane to abort landing

PA

The Queen has arrived in Windsor ahead of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations after flying back from a short break in Balmoral.

The monarch on Thursday travelled to her Scottish castle for a long weekend after making a number of appearances in public the days before.

Her journey back on Tuesday afternoon faced some difficulties after her 13-seater jet arrived in London during a storm.

While attempting to land at RAF Northolt, the pilot pulled the plane back in the air due to the storm, where it circled until the weather subsided.

They were able to successfully land 15 minutes later.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the flight had aborted its initial landing due to lightning and added there had been no safety concerns for the Queen - who was later spotted with her dogs at Windsor Castle.

The Queen has appeared at a number of events in recent weeks including at the Chelsea Flower Show, the opening of the Elizabeth Line, and the Windsor Horse Show.

However, she has spent the last few days resting ahead of a long-weekend of festivities to mark her milestone reign.

Britain Jubilee (The Queen has attended Chelsea Flower Show more than 50 times during her reign - and this year was no different)

The Platinum Jubilee celebration will begin on Thursday with the traditional Trooping the Colour military ceremony, involving more than 1,500 personnel and 350 horses from the Household Division.

It is custom for the 96-year-old to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony with members of the royal family for a special flypast, but it has not yet been confirmed if this will be the case this year.

There will be no ceremonial journey to the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, with the Queen - if attending - likely to use a different entrance.

She is no longer expected at the Epsom Derby on Saturday with the Princess Royal attending on her behalf.

There is speculation she will instead spend the day meeting, for the first time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter Lilibet - who was named in the Queen’s honour, and celebrates her first birthday on Saturday.

It is hoped the monarch will make a final appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to round off the weekend.