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Special Reports
4 June 2012
Last updated at
17:47
In pictures: Jubilee picnic
Diamond Jubilee picture galleries
More galleries
St Paul's service and carriage procession
Jubilee beacons are lit
Diamond Jubilee concert
Pageant artists
Thames river celebrations
1,000-boat pageant
The Royals around London
England braves the weather
Celebrations in Wales
Your Jubilee snaps: Beacons
Royal salute in Scotland
Your Jubilee snaps: Global
Your Jubilee snaps: UK
Hundreds of ticket-holders for a picnic and star-studded concert to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee gathered outside Buckingham Palace.
Groups of people without tickets began to arrive on The Mall nearby to watch the concert on big screens.
They were only beaten to the best viewing spots by about 100 people who had set up tents overnight.
Ticket-holders were allowed to enter an official queuing area to get into palace grounds at Constitution Hill. They had previously formed their own make-shift queue with a line at least 10-people deep snaking its way down the pavement.
There was confusion earlier as picnic-goers tried to enter palace grounds at Constitution Hill. "The guards thought we needed the fancy card inviting you to the palace - but it wasn't needed after all," said Donna Hughes, from mid-Wales.
The crowd entered the palace gardens - where teams of helpers handed out picnic hampers created by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and royal chef Mark Flanagan - to the accompaniment of a steel band.
The hampers included country garden soup, Scottish smoked salmon jubilee chicken, cheese, chutney and three cakes.
And the lucky ticket-holders were also entitled to free glass of champagne.
Despite some rain on an overcast day, picnickers enjoyed the feast to the sounds of a string quartet playing classical music.
Crowds continued to gather on The Mall and despite room becoming tight, the atmosphere remained persistently polite and good-natured.
Sir Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Sir Paul McCartney are among the stars getting ready to perform for the Queen.
The musicians will play on a specially-constructed £200,000 stage built around the Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace.
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