Queen caught in storm as her jet is forced to abandon landing ahead of Platinum Jubilee

1 June 2022, 06:15 | Updated: 1 June 2022, 10:41

The Queen was caught up in a storm as her private jet had to abort its landing during her flight back from Scotland.

The monarch's Embraer 135 was caught in Tuesday's bad weather which forced it to have to abandon its first attempt at touching down at RAF Northolt in North West London.

It got caught up in an electrical storm, rain and hail at about 2.30pm, forcing it back up seconds before touching down.

The 13-seater jet, which was carrying the Queen down from Aberdeen ahead of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, managed to land on the second attempt after flying around for about 15 minutes.

A 4x4 then took the monarch to Windsor Castle.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the aborted landing but said there were no safety concerns.

"In circumstances like this you take no risks and it was right to abort landing during lightning strikes," a Buckingham Palace insider told The Sun.

Brits are gearing up for celebrations ahead of the four-day weekend to mark 70 years of the Queen's reign.

Street parties are set to take place across the UK, bringing neighbours and communities together, while the usual royal pageantry will provide plenty of pomp and ceremony.

Thursday will see the Trooping the Colour take place from 11am, followed by the royal family's appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Read more: Ready for the party: Royal superfans camp out in London 48-hours before Platinum Jubilee

Harry, Meghan and Andrew have all been banned from taking part in that.

A flypast will take place at the same time, before beacons are lit throughout the country in the evening.

Friday will feature a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral. On Saturday, a musical celebration will be held at Buckingham Palace while Sunday will see Brits enjoy lunch with their neighbours to mark the jubilee.

Royal super-fans have already arrived in the Mall in London.

Donna has travelled from Connecticut for Queen's Jubilee

Donna Warner, from Connecticut in the US, had already set up her camp by Buckingham Palace to try and get a glimpse of the Queen and the royals on Thursday.

She told LBC she is "so excited" to be here.

"I arrived on Saturday and I will be here for 10 days. We came to The Mall today and we are going to be camping out until Sunday," she said.

"I'm just disappointed we can't see the balcony. The Queen's going to come out and this is as close as we can get. There's not going to be any crowds beneath her."

She added it is a "remarkable" feeling to be in London.

"I've always respected not only the Queen but the whole of the Royal Family, the history of the royalty.

"I think she [the Queen] will go down in history as the best - one of the best.

"I'm just so excited to be here."