Buckingham Palace announced late Thursday that the queen would not attend a thanksgiving church service Friday after experiencing “some discomfort” at events on Thursday. The palace said with “great reluctance” the monarch has decided to skip the service at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Queen Elizabeth II however greeted people from the Buckingham Palace balcony on Thursday, drawing cheers from the people who came to join her at the start of four days of celebrations of her 70 years on the throne.

Sporting Union Jack flags, party hats and plastic tiaras, people had camped overnight in hopes of glimpsing the 96-year-old queen, and a chance to watch the Trooping the Color — a military parade that has marked each sovereign's official birthday since 1760.

👑 On the first day of the #PlatinumJubilee weekend and the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation, we look back on Her Majesty’s life of service from her time as a young Princess supporting the war effort to her extraordinary commitment to her role as Monarch. pic.twitter.com/aZ3jMT1AlS
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 2, 2022

Elizabeth, who became queen at 25, is Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the first to reach the milestone of seven decades on the throne.With age catching up the queen has had trouble moving around in recent months, and has pulled out of many public events.

But Elizabeth took part Thursday night in lighting a chain of ceremonial beacons at Windsor Castle as planned.

💡The Queen leads the lighting of the Principal Beacon at Windsor Castle.

The spectacular @QGCanopy Tree of Trees outside
Buckingham Palace will form the Principal Beacon throughout the weekend’s celebrations. pic.twitter.com/JFnGkoja5o
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 2, 2022

The Jubilee celebrations go on for a long weekend, and it was not immediately known how the news would affect Jubilee events on Saturday and Sunday.

The jubilee event is being commemorated with a four-day holiday extravaganza and events including a concert at Buckingham Palace on Saturday and a pageant staged by thousands of performers drawn from schools and community groups around the country on Sunday. Thousands of street parties are planned nationwide, repeating a tradition that began with the queen's coronation in 1953.

In a written jubilee message, the queen thanked people in Britain and across the Commonwealth involved in organizing the celebrations. This country does like a good party. “I know that many happy memories will be created at these festive occasions,” Elizabeth said. “I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last 70 years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm.” ( With inputs from PTI)