Ballot opens for Diamond Jubilee seats

Royal fans who want a ringside seat for this summer’s glittering Diamond Jubilee carriage procession can now apply for free tickets.

Five thousand pairs of tickets are available under a public ballot for seating opposite Buckingham Palace, which will capture all the pomp and pageantry of the day.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will join the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh for the carriage procession from Westminster Hall to the Palace on 5 June.

The spectacle will be part of a series of events that day, starting with a St Paul’s Cathedral service of thanksgiving. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will also take part in the procession. The Queen and Prince Philip will travel in a 1902 state landau – and it is likely William, Kate and Harry will ride in another carriage, with Charles and Camilla in a third.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it’s completely right these seats are allocated in a fair way to the general public and that they are free of charge.”

Details of how to apply for the ballot, which closes at the end of 20 April, can be found on the website www.jubilee5june.co.uk.