100 years of RAF: London sky turns red, blue and white in spectacular display

Queen Elizabeth and senior members of her family attended celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of Britain’s Royal Air Force on Tuesday, ahead of a flypast of almost 100 aircraft over Buckingham Palace in central London. (Source: AP)

Thousands of people lined the palace approach in central London, to watch a ceremony hosted by the Queen and culminating in the historic flypast of bombers, old and new, along with spy planes, helicopters and transporters. (Source: Reuters)

Britain's Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Anne stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as they watch a fly past. (Source: Reuters)

The Red Arrows perform a fly past over the Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force in central London, Britain. (Source: AP)

The Queen watched Typhoons form the shape of the number 100 in the sky, before the Red Arrows, the RAF’s aerobatic team, concluded the show, vapor-trailing the red, white and blue of the Union Jack flag. (Source: Reuters)

Heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, his son Prince William and wife Kate, and Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, all joined the queen on the palace balcony for the display. (Source: AP)

The tribute to the RAF, which became the world’s first independent air force when it was founded as a separate entity from the British Army and Royal Navy in 1918, began with a service at Westminster Abbey. (Source: AP)

The queen, dressed in a royal blue outfit with turquoise edging, later hosted a ceremony to present the RAF with a new Queen’s Colour, at which she recognized the service’s work. (Source: AP)

The flypast planes were gathering off the coast of eastern England. After cruising toward London and flying over the Olympic Park and the capital’s financial center, they will roar past the royal family, who will be watching from the palace balcony. (Source: Reuters)

Members of the Red Arrows Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team fly over London, heading for Buckingham Palace. (Source: Reuters)

Prince Charles and his elder son Prince William both served as RAF pilots. (Source: AP)

Some 1,300 serving RAF men and women participated in the parade down The Mall, the main approach to Buckingham Palace, before the Queen and heir to the throne Prince Charles hosted a ceremony to present the RAF with a new Queen’s Colour. (Source: AP)