Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee celebration kicks off June 2 at Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth II is enjoying the calm before the storm, albeit a celebratory storm. A royal source tells ET that Her Majesty traveled to Balmoral estate in Scotland on Thursday "for a short break" before the Jubilee celebrations begin.
The royal source added that Elizabeth, 96, "often travels there at this time of year and stays for a week." With so much planned for the four-day celebration, it seems the queen is pacing herself ahead of the festivities planned.
In honor of the queen's 70 years of service, four days of events have been planned for June, beginning on June 2 with a birthday parade and the royal family's traditional balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Colour event.
According to a press release, the Trooping the Colour will feature the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards and more than 1200 officers and soldiers as well as hundreds of Army musicians and about 240 horses. During the parade, a royal gun salute will be fired. The family will appear on the balcony -- paired with a flyover -- after the parade.
While the queen herself invited Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their kids to the event, the couple will not take part in the balcony appearance. Harry, Meghan and the family are, however, expected to attend the service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral on June 3, according to The Telegraph.
The queen's Jubilee celebration also includes the BBC's Platinum Party at the Palace on June 4. Sir Elton John, Diana Ross and Lin-Manuel Miranda are among the artists who are scheduled to perform. There will be a three-stage setup where the band Queen and Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow and George Ezra, Duran Duran, Andrea Bocelli, Mimi Webb, Sam Ryder, Jax Jones, Celeste, Nile Rodgers, Sigala and Diversity will all perform. David Beckham is also slated to attend, and the evening will feature other surprise appearances.
The queen's trip to Balmoral comes less than a week after the monarch was all smiles attending the Royal Horticultural Society's annual floral festival in West London on Monday. It was Her Majesty's latest public appearance after it was revealed she was struggling with "episodic mobility problems."
That setback forced Elizabeth to skip this year's Opening of Parliament, though about a week later she later made a surprise appearance at the Royal Windsor Horse Show not too far from her current residence.
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