FOG BLOG ROYALS LOG: HUGE CELEBRATION FOR QUEEN'S PLATINUM JUBILEE AND RECORD 70 YRS. ON THRONE !

Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee is underway: Everything to know about the celebrations The horses have galloped, the cannons have burst and the planes have flown — Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee is officially underway.

The celebration marks the queen's 70th year on the British throne, an unprecedented feat for the monarchy that calls for elaborate plans, which include a four-day holiday weekend full of parties, pageants and concerts.

Members of the royal family including Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, Prince William and Duchess Kate, and their three young Cambridge royals: George, Charlotte and Louis all celebrated Thursday with their family matriarch as the military put on the Trooping of the Color showcase. The parade and pomp marked the start of what's expected to be a host of events to honor the long-reigning queen. The 96-year-old monarch celebrated the official anniversary of her time on the throne, or her Ascension Day on Feb. 6, the same day in 1952 she began carrying the title after the death of her father, King George VI. She was formally crowned on June 2, 1953.

Here's how the U.K. is celebrating their majesty the queen for the momentous occasion and what the events mean to royal watchers worldwide. Jubilees are not uncommon in British royal history. Queen Elizabeth II has celebrated several but is the first monarch to celebrate a platinum year of 70. In 2012, the queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the throne.

Throughout her 70th year of rule several events have taken place before this weekend's long-awaited festivities.

In May, the jubilee kicked off with a 90-minute arena theater show which included more than 500 horses (one of the queen's favorite animals) and 1,000 performers showed off a look through history of the British Monarchy, beginning with Elizabeth I.

Kicking it off:Queen Elizabeth II poses for Platinum Jubilee picture to mark start of national celebration

Who was on the balcony with the queen?

Britain kicked off Jubilee celebrations with the Trooping the Colour parade that saw the 96-year-old monarch appear – twice – for the first time in years on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. She appeared first with one of her royal cousins, the Duke of Kent, to take the salute of her troops, and then with her extended family of "working royals."

For the second appearance on the balcony, the family group flanking the queen included Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla; Prince William and Duchess Kate and their three children; Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence; and the queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, his wife Countess Sophie and their two teenage children, James, Viscount Severn, and Lady Louise Windsor.

Also on the balcony were the queen's cousins, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.