Europe's monarchs have attended Windsor Castle for a lunch and dinner to celebrate 50 years of the Queen's reign.

The Jubilee bash was the biggest gathering of members of Europe's royal families since the Queen Mother's funeral in April.

The day of glittering ceremony began with the annual Order of the Garter service, in which the Queen honoured her second cousin, King Harald of Norway.

With medieval costumes and masses of ceremonial splendour, this grandest of pageants celebrates the oldest order of chivalry.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain are among the guests

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, a tradition started by King Edward III in 1348, is given personally by the Queen to a total of 24 British people, plus members of foreign royalty.

Oxford-educated Harald, 65, was invited to be installed with his knighthood during the Queen's state visit to Norway last year.

Jubilee correspondent Nick Higham said that being given the title was a "considerable personal honour" but it was "purely an honorary affair."

World Cup hero

The afternoon procession of Knights and Ladies of the Garter to and from St George's Chapel in Windsor marked his formal installation in one of the most colourful ceremonies in the royal calendar.

Many of the other European monarchs visiting Windsor have previously been given the honour.

The Queen in her finery for the Procession of the Garter

British Garter Knights and Ladies include former prime ministers Sir Edward Heath, Lord Callaghan and Baroness Thatcher.

Guests at the Jubilee dinner included King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium and Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway and King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain also made the journey.

The retired Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg were also among those attending.

The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Royal, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra were representing the British Royal Family.

It is the biggest gathering of European royals since the Queen Mother's funeral

Other special Jubilee events have continued to be held since the main Bank Holiday celebrations at the beginning of June.

On Monday, 1966 World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst led the Commonwealth Jubilee baton relay into England. It will travel around the UK until the start of the Commonwealth Games in July.

The Queen has continued her Jubilee tour with trips to north London and Wales.

And she has hosted a special reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the different faiths practised across the UK.

On Tuesday the Queen and some of the European royalty are expected to attend Royal Ascot races, which has been extended by a day to mark the Golden Jubilee, and therefore continues until Saturday.