A special tribute is made with music and ceremony at Edinburgh Castle as part of the national celebrations.

In a grand gesture marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, a beacon was lit at Edinburgh Castle on Thursday evening, contributing to the nationwide celebrations. This beacon was one of more than 2,022 illuminated across the UK and Commonwealth as part of the official programme outlined by Buckingham Palace.

The event at Edinburgh Castle began with Army cadet piper Callum Lowther performing Diu Regnare, a special composition written for the occasion by Pipe Major Stuart Liddell. Following this, Army cadet bugler Ciaran Cook sounded a bugle call, Majesty, to officially announce the lighting of the beacon.

At precisely 9.45 pm, the beacon was lit by the newly appointed Lord Provost of Edinburgh and Lieutenant Colonel Lorne Campbell, the commander of Edinburgh Garrison. Lord Provost Robert Aldridge expressed pride in being part of this significant celebration, noting, “It is only fitting that such a unique milestone in history is marked with music, and what better location than Edinburgh Castle, where the beacon can be seen from the streets below.”

Across Scotland, beacons were also lit at various notable locations, including Paisley Abbey, Marischal College in Aberdeen, and East Beach in Lossiemouth. In addition to the beacon lighting, town criers, pipers, buglers, and choirs performed at ceremonies throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Overseas Territories, and Commonwealth countries.

Bruno Peek, the Pageantmaster of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons, said, “The widespread support for beacon lighting across the nation and Commonwealth highlights both unity and diversity. The Queen has illuminated our lives for 70 years, and now we aim to light up the nation and the Commonwealth in her honour.”