Thousands of people lined the pavements of Trafalgar Square today to give a heroes' welcome to Great Britain's Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Stars including Max Whitlock and Nicola Adams joined the 90-minute ceremony in central London. They are due to meet the Queen tonight at a reception at Buckingham Palace.
The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, will host the event for the medal winners of the 2016 Games in Rio.
The Princess Royal, who is president of the British Olympic Association, will meet athletes at the reception with Princess Eugenie and the Duke of York are also expected to attend.
William, Kate and Harry said the team was an "inspiration to us all, young and old" after their summer success.
"London 2012 was a hard act to follow, but you have made the entire country proud of everything you have accomplished," the Duke and Duchess said in a statement released in August.
"We all know that this success does not come easy and is the culmination of years of hard work, passionate commitment, sheer grit and determination."
The Queen, who previously praised the Team GB squad for the "magnificent" and "outstanding" performance in Rio, hosted a similar celebration after London 2012.
Today's celebration comes after Team GB recorded their best-ever medal haul from an overseas Olympics with 27 golds among their total of 67.
Following on from the success, the Paralympics GB squad returned from Rio with 147 medals, including 64 golds.
Celebrations were held in Manchester where roads were closed for a procession of trucks carrying Team GB’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Read More
On Monday, gold medal winning boxer Nicola Adams called on Londoners to recreate the spirit of 2012 as the parade moved south to the capital.
She told the Standard: “It’s such an amazing feeling to know the country is just as proud as we are of winning.
“This is the best we’ve ever done at an away Games so we just want to see everybody there enjoying themselves and having a good time.
“I used to train in London so it’s going to be amazing coming down after Manchester. It’s like having my cake and eating it.
“It’s a great chance to recreate the spirit of London 2012 and I think people will.”
