-
Weather watch: Prince Charles, Prince
of Wales, casts a wary eye skywards as rainclouds darken overhead while he
accompanies Camilla,
-
Duchess of Cornwall during the Diamond Jubilee
River Pageant.
-
Splendour: The royal barge 'Spirit of Chartwell'
carrying the Queen cruises down the River Thames during the Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
-
The bascules of Tower Bridge
opened for the arrival of the royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, as the Royal
Family prepared
-
to taketheir places on HMS President to watch the rest of the
seven mile-long flotilla making its way down the Thames.
Just after 2pm more than a thousand vessels set off in
wave after wave of tugs, steamers, pleasure cruisers, dragon boats
andkayaks with the Queen travelling
-
at its heart.The river-borne event was one of the highlights of the
four-day Diamond Jubilee weekend and spectators refused to let
-
themiserable weather dampen their spirits.
-
But the flypast finale to the
Thames River Pageant was cancelled today due to the poor weather.
Nine naval helicopters of the
Fleet Air Arm were scheduled to form a 'Diamond Nine' in the skies above London
to salute the Queen.
-
'Unfortunately because of the
weather conditions, the proposed helicopter fly past in diamond formation will
now not takeplace,' a spokeswoman for the
-
-
Though, this did not ruin what
proved to be a stunning spectacle for those who did brave the drizzle to line
the shores of the Thames.
-
The Spirit of Chartwell Royal barge passes under
Tower Bridge, heading up a flotilla of hundreds of boats which sailed from Battersea Bridge
-
-
Anchors aweigh: The manpowered section of the
Diamond Jubilee River Pageant headed along the River Thames to Tower Bridge, London.
Braving the elements: The rowers who manned
Gloriana had been on the river for hours by the time the conclusion of the
pageant.
Putting their backs into it: The Gloriana leads the
manpowered craft towards Westminster Bridge during Queen
-
Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River
Thames in London
Sweet sound: The Royal Jubilee Bells, on Ursula
Catherine Belfry Barge, passed the Palace of Westminster at the
-
-
Ringing the changes: Crowds cheer on the flotilla
while the bell-ringers were hard at work in the floating belfry,
-
which joined some of the near 1,000 boats that took
to the Thames for the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant.
-
Choppy waters: Boats of all sizes floated near
Tower Bridge as part of the Diamond Jubilee Thames River Pageant,
Bow to stern: Boats lined up to form a flotilla
around 1,000 strong as the UK celebrates the Diamond Jubilee
-
-
Show: The New Zealand rowers perform a Maori war
row on the Thames in front of thousands of spectators
Working up a sweat: Television host Ben Fogle,
sporting a cream waistcoat and shorts, puts his back into
-
-
Jubilation: A delighted crowd wave Union flags as
they sail on a boat during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageantin London in one of the
-
-
Spectacular: Every available vantage point down the
Embankment and the Millennium Bridge was packed as
-
hundreds of thousands of people tried to getting a
view of the Royal Pageant along the Thames.
Dressed to impress: As the rain fell, this
oversized hat on one of the boats in the thousand strong flotilla
-
-
Salute: The Honourable Artillery Company firing,
the City of London's Territorial Army regiment and the oldest regiment in the British Army,
-
fired a 41-round Gun Salute from Gun Wharf at HM
Palace and Fortress to mark theQueen's Diamond
Jubilee.
-
Big bang: Fireworks are launched from the top of
Tower Bridge marking the end of the record-breaking Diamond Jubilee River
-
PageantAnd by
around 5pm,
-
419 boats had reached Tower
Bridge in London - setting a new world
record for the number of boats taking partin a parade.
-
The event easily surpassed the previous record of 327 boats in
Bremerhaven, Germany, last year.
-
The first impressive vessel to
greet spectators was the Gloriana, the ￡1m row barge which led the manpowered
section.
-
It was rowed by 18 oarsmen and
women.
Havengore, the vessel that
carried Sir Winston Churchill's coffin during his state funeral in 1965,
-
is being used in the pageant by
theDuke of York and his daughters Princess
Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and the Earl and Countess of
Wessex.
-
The Princesses could be seen
frantically waving to the crowds as they set off with their father standing
close by. The Princess Royal and her husband,
-
Vice Admiral Sir Timothy
Laurence, both in naval uniforms, were on the Trinity House no 1
boat.
Conditions remained dry for the
start of the impressive event when the royal barge, The Spirit of Chartwell,
-
carrying the Queen senior members
of the Royal family took its place in the flotilla close to Albert
Bridge.
The Queen alongside The Duchesses of Cambridge and
Cornwall enjoy the the Jubilee Pageant on the
-
Thames which broke a world
record for the number of boats in a procession
-
The Duchess of Cambridge smiled as she waved to the
crowds ahead of the Jubilee River Pageant.
-
She will join her husband
Prince William and the Queen on The Spirit of Chartwell.
-
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince
Harry arrive ahead of the Queen to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee
Pippa Middleton, second from the right, was on-board one of the
boats with her brother James, far right,
and father Michael, third from right. They
were invited by the Queen to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.
-
A delighted-looking Pippa Middleton, left, and with
her brother James as they make their way down the Thames.
-
The Middleton family were invited by the
Queen.
Spectacle: Pippa Middleton, with her brother James
to her left and her father Michael behind, enjoy uninterrupted
-
views of the Royal Pageant.
Rapturous: Princess Anne, left, and Prince Philip,
right, acknowledge the huge and vocal displays of support from the thousands of
-
well-wishers lining the river bank during the
Diamond Jubilee River Pageant along the Thames.
-
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, watches the boats
from the deck of 'Havengore' during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
-
Pride: London Mayor Boris Johnson, top, joins
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, left, and Princess Beatrice, right,
-
on aboat during the Diamond
Jubilee River Pageant.
-
Royal arrival: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, arrives
at Imperial Wharf, Chelsea, clutching son James' hand,
-
followedby daughter Lady Louise
Windsor,
-
to board on of the boats which made up the largest
flotilla ever assembled for a parade.
-
The Queen was escorted down the
river by the 1,000-strong flotilla to mark 60 years of her reign in an event
that promised to
-
be the most spectacular nautical
ceremony in London for the past 350 years.
On the sumptuously decorated
barge she was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of
Cornwall,
-
Duke andDuchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
-
The boat has been described as a
vessel 'fit for a queen' and has been decorated with nearly 10,000 flowers and
was donated for
-
use at the event by owner Philip
Morrell and transformed in a project led by award-winning production designer
Joseph Bennett.
-
Lavishly decorated with replica
carvings and sporting a majestic red, gold and purple colour scheme, the
vessel's design will echo
-
the richly decorated royal barges
of the 17th and 18th centuries.
-
Tribute: The National Theatre arranged for its own
special event to honour the Queen's Jubilee - by staging part of play
-
War Horse on a rooftop overlooking the
Thames.
Colours to the mast: People living along the Thames
delighted in showing their support for the Queen's
-
Diamond Jubilee by draping the Union Flag their
homes.
Red, white and blue: Spectators clutched Union
Flags as they watch the flotilla from Butlers Wharf, near Tower Bridge,
-
during Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee River
Pageant along the River Thames.
-
Rooms with a view: People wave from a building on
the river bank as a flotilla of 1,000 vessels passes
-
by during the Thames River
Pageant.
-
The Spirit of Chartwell made its way down the Thames with the
Queen and other members of the Royal family onboard as
thousands
of people watched from bridges and river
banks.
-
Then and now: A flotilla of manpowered craft rows
past St Paul's Cathedral, in a 1747 painting, by Venetian artist
-
Canaletto entitled "London, top. The skyline may
have changed since then, but today's pageant is still a striking image,
bottom.
-
Rowing boats made up one of the sections of the
1,000-strong flotilla which was the main event as part
-
of celebrationsfor the Queen's
Diamond Jubilee.
-
Boats gets ready for the start of the Diamond
Jubilee River Pageant as the UK celebrates
-
a Diamond Jubilee for only the second time in
history.
The 1,000-strong flotilla promises to be one of the
most spectacular to take place in London for the past 350 years.
A steam train and pleasure boat of all shapes and
sizes are seen from Battersea bridge on the River Thames as theQueen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.
-
It now sports an ornate, gilded
prow sculpture featuring Old Father Thames, a pair of scaly,
-
sharp-toothed classical dolphins
- a symbol of the Thames - and the royal
cipher at the centre.
-
A lavish, red, velvet banner
decorated with a version of the royal coat-of-arms made from more than half a
million gold-coloured buttons hangs
-
from the stern.The Queen and Duke will be seated on the vessel's top
deck in ornate chairs under a gold-coloured canopy.
-
The 64 metre-long cruiser has a
top speed of 11 knots, will have rich red drapes decorating its sides and its
bow will display the Queen's cipher,
-
EIIR, below a crown with golden
floral displays around it.
-
A huge cheer went up whenever the
royal barge came into view of the thousands of spectators who lined the banks of
the river.
It has a luxury interior designed
to evoke the grandeur of the 1929 Cote d'Azur Pullman railway carriages,
-
complete with artefacts
from the original train and great ocean
liners.
-
The Queen arrived wearing a stylish dress and matching coat
designed by Angela Kelly.
She was delighted when the crowds began
cheering after she arrived.
-
A jubilant looking Queen Elizabeth II greets the
Chelsea Pensioners before she boards The Spirit of Chartwell ahead of
the Jubilee celebrations.
-
Prince Charles, accompanied by his wife the Duchess of Cornwall,
and his sister the Princess Royal, right,
were only young children when their mother
became Queen sixty years ago.
-
The Queen walks down the gangway to her launch
wearing an outfit especially designed for
-
the occasion by Angela Kelly.
It has been a year in the making. 
-
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh wave from the
launch during the pageant celebration to mark 60 years of her reignin Britain.
-
She celebrated the day with her family and hundreds
of thousands of people who lined the banks of the River Thames.
-
Flowers from the Queen's gardens
will adorn the barge and take as their theme the Commonwealth, the Queen's 1953
Coronation and
-
the Gold State Coach.
Gardeners' World horticulturist
Rachel de Thame created the floral displays which have a red, gold and purple
colour scheme.
The water-borne extravaganza
features a flotilla of 1,000 ships, boats, yachts and other vessels, expected to
be seven and a half miles-long.
-
Organisers hope to recreate
scenes not seen on the river for more than 300 years, since the reign of Charles
II.
Chelsea pensioners will make up a
Guard of Honour for the Queen, Philip, Charles and Camilla at Chelsea Pier, and
a tender will take them
-
to nearby Cadogan Pier where the
royal barge will be moored.
-
The Queen wore a stunning silver
and white dress and matching coat. The outfit has been a year in the planning,
-
was designed by Angela Kelly and made by her small in-house Buckingham
Palace team.
-
Its colour scheme was chosen to
stand out against the red, gold and purple hues of the royal barge.
Rowing boats start to gather in preparation for the
Queen's arrival and will be part of the team that escort her down the river.
-
Thousands of people watch from the banks and the
bridge as the boats prepare for the Queen's arrival in London
Crowds of people gather near Tower Bridge to see
the Queen as she cruises along on the Thames.
-
This is only the second time in
the history of the UK that a Monarch has celebrated a Diamond
Jubilee.
-
A group of women on one of the rowing boats smile
as they get ready.
Prince Charles, who is patron of
the pageant and made the suggestion of a water-borne tribute to his mother, wore
his Royal Navy
-
Admiral's ceremonial day dress
uniform. His wife the Duchess of Cornwall chose to wear an Anna Valentine coat
and dress with a hat designed by Philip
Treacy.
-
A guard of honour formed of
Chelsea Pensioners in their immaculate scarlet uniforms were lined up in front
of the royal couple as they
arrived.
-
Charles and Camilla had earlier
ventured out into the rain to join a Big Jubilee Lunch street party in London's
Piccadilly with the royal couple stopping
-
to chat to revellers in the
street and even sat down with them.
London Mayor Boris Johnson was
upbeat from Putney Pier, declaring the rain had passed as he geed-up the crowds
around him.
'I want you to know the rain has
stopped, hasn't it?' the politician said, turning to a crowd behind him while
being interviewed by BBC
News.
-
He added: 'It's going to be a
fantastic day, I've no doubt about that at all. We're are looking forward very
much here in Putney to the kick-off,
-
which I think is in a couple of
hours time, but already the crowds are enormous here.'
Participants row a boat flying the Italian flag as
they prepare for the 1,000-strong flotilla
Fans of the Royal Family wait beneath an umbrella
in the rain near Tower Bridge ahead of the river pageant
Two women brave the cold and wait on the banks of
the River Thames so they can watch the 1,000-strong flotilla to start later today
-
Crowds gather on Westminster Bridge, London, ahead
of the start of the Diamond Jubilee river pageant
Bunny Henderson comes prepared for the dreary
weather and is determined not to let it ruin her day
People take cover under their umbrellas on
Westminster Bridge as images of the Queen are projected onto a .
Thousands of people had eagerly
waited to catch a glimpse of the Queen with scores camping overnight in the
rainy weather.
-
They used Union flag inspired tents and umbrellas to keep
themselves dry while others bought camping stoves, sausages,
-
bacon andeggs so they could have a fry up.
-
Many said they would not let the
miserable weather get them down and spent the night singing and dancing in a bid
to try and keep warm.
-
-
SEND US YOUR PICTURES
Have you taken any pictures of
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations?
From The Thames to your town, we
want to see them.
Send them for publication to the
Mail online on the email address: mailonlinepictures@dailymail.co.uk
Karen Chen, 32 and David Ip, 31,
from Streatham, south London, said the rain had not put them off coming to the
river early to get a prime
spot.
-
'We got here just after 7.30
[this morning], it would have been earlier if we thought we would have more
competition.
-
The rain actually works to our
advantage,' Ms Chen said.
The pair bagged a prime spot on a
bench next to Battersea Bridge and said they were ready for the
long-haul.
'We are wrapped up warmly and
have waterproof sheets to shelter under. We have got a picnic of marmalade and
cheese
-
and pickle sandwiches and Mr Kipling cakes,' Mr Ip
added.
-
'Today is a spectacular event,
nothing would have stopped us from coming to see the boats. We are so excited
about all the variety.
-
It will only happen once in our
lifetime and we will be here until the very end,' Ms Chen said.
-
Organisers had remained upbeat
about the weather despite rain being forecast for most of the day, with Pageant
Master Adrian
-
Evans declaring preparations were
in hand.
-
'There is some rain around, but
it has not dampened any spirits,' said Mr Evans. 'We in Britain are experts at
not letting the weather spoil our fun.
-
The London Philharmonic Orchestra
will be playing Singing In The Rain as they travel down the river, and the crowd
can sing along with them.
Prime Minister David Cameron with scouts at the
Downing Street party in London.
-
He said the UK needed the Monarchy because it provided stability
-
Supporters of the Queen gather in the cold weather
as the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee
A group of women who camped overnight celebrate as
they wait for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations to start
Two women, one dressed as the Queen and another as
a 'coronation chicken' go all out in celebration of the Jubilee
'We are all set to have one of
the most spectacular pieces of river theatre that London, and the world, has
ever seen. Excitement is building,
-
and everything is
ready.'
Prime Minister David Cameron will
also take part in the celebrations and will join his staff and guests for a
party in Downing Street.
The event is part of the Big
Jubilee Lunch - which will see thousands of neighbourly meals being staged
across the country in honour of the
-
Queen's 60-year reign.
-
Speaking about the Queen and the
Monarchy on the BBC's Andrew Marr show he said he believed there would be less
stability in Britain if
-
the Royal family did not
exist.
-
'I think one of the great things
that a monarch brings, and particularly a Royal Family and Her Majesty the Queen
personally brings,
-
is this sense of national unity
and stability, someone who the whole country can identify with,' he
said.
Surprise guests: Charles and Camilla dropped in on
Britain's poshest street party today, held outside the Ritz and
-
Fortnum & Mason on London's
Piccadilly
Prince Charles, with his wife the Duchess of
Cornwall, gets into the swing of things as they celebrate the Queen's
-
Diamond Jubilee
'It doesn't matter whether people
are Labour or Conservative or Liberal Democrat or can't bear any politicians.
-
There's at the head of state someone who the whole country can revere and
look up to, a great symbol of national unity, of continuity,
-
that links Britishpeople with our institutions, with our history, with
our relations with other countries, with the Commonwealth.
-
'All of those things help to
anchor us, so I think it's a great source of strength and stability, both now
and into the future.'
He also quashed the idea of the
Queen abdicating in favour of her grandson the Duke of Cambridge:
-
'It's hard to think of ever her
putting a foot wrong.
-
And you get the sense with her
that she will go on doing the amazing job she's done for this country as long as
she
-
possibly can and you never see any sign of her devotion getting any
less.'
-
The street outside the official
London home of the prime minister will also host charities,
-
who have a royal patron or are
supporters of the Lunch.
-
Peter Stewart, director of the
Big Jubilee Lunch, said: 'We're thrilled Downing Street is hosting this lunch
-
for people who are active in
bringing communities together, which is what the Big Lunch is all
about.'
A young boy gets into the spirit by donning a mask
of the Queen while a woman, right,
-
sips on a cup of tea to keep her warm ahead of the celebrations taking place
-
Union Jack adorned tents were a favourite among
those who spent the night camped along the banks of the Thames
Royal revellers wait in the rain on the South Bank
of the River Thames for the start of the Diamond Jubilee
Local branches of the Scout
Association, Girlguiding UK, Age UK and Contact the Elderly will join the staff
from Downing street,
-
and the party atmosphere will be
created with games, music and face painting.
The Duchess of Cornwall is patron
of the event, led by the Eden Project, which aims to encourage neighbourhoods to
come together
-
to share lunch and a few hours of
community, friendship and fun.
The event stems from the Big
Lunch movement, which started in 2009 and which last year saw almost two million
people
-
get together in their local communities.
-
This year people across all 54
Commonwealth countries are being encouraged to hold their own Big Jubilee Lunch
events as part
-
of the celebrations.
-
Almost six million Britons plan
to throw a house party this weekend for the Diamond Jubilee, a study has
suggested.
Some 12 per cent of people plan
to hold celebrations at home to mark the Queen's 60-year reign, spending ￡83
each on average,
-
amounting to ￡424 million spent
across the country on food, drink and decorations, Santander Insurance
found.
WHAT THE QUEEN WORE on HER SPECIAL DAY
The Queen arrived for the Diamond
Jubilee river pageant wearing a stunning silver and white dress and matching
coat.
The outfit has been a year in the
planning and was designed by Angela Kelly and made by her small in-house
Buckingham Palace team.
-
Its colour scheme was chosen to
stand out against the red, gold and purple hues of the royal
barge.
-
It is created from white boucle,
a fabric which has a fine textured feel, and threaded throughout with silk
ribbon. The boucle was embroidered with gold,
-
silver and ivory spots and
embellished with Swarovski crystals to reflect the River Thames.
-
The outfit was finished with a
silk organza frill.The Queen's hat had a
swept up brim, the crown of which was made of the same material as the coat.
-
Details on the hat included
feathers hand dyed in Buckingham Palace by one of Miss Kelly's team who spent a
number of months making
-
the whole outfit. More silk organza and Swarovski crystals were used to
decorate this uniquely shaped hat.
-
BRITONS EMBRACE THE SPIRIT AS SALES FOR JUBILEE INSPIRED GOODS
SOAR
Sales for Jubilee inspired products have soared
What's red and white and blue all
over? In Britain this weekend, everything.
As the country celebrates Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years
on the throne, retailers are embracing the jubilee spirit,
-
doing a roaring trade in tricolor British flags, bunting and party
supplies.
-
'Anything with a Union Jack on it
is selling like hot cakes,' said Matt Compton, party goods buyer for the Tesco
supermarket chain.
-
'This is the biggest week we have
had since the Millennium in terms of party sales,
-
with demand far exceeding sales
(during) last year's royal wedding.'
The patriotic outpouring stems
from a mix of affection for the 86-year-old queen and delight at a four-day
holiday weekend,
-
granted for the second royal Diamond Jubilee in British
history.
-
Only Queen Victoria, Elizabeth's
great-great grandmother, ruled for longer than the current monarch. Hundreds of thousands
-
of people planned picnics or street parties for today as
the Queen's royal barge leads a 1,000-boat jubilee flotilla.
-
The weather report calls for cool
temperatures and rain, but stores have all but sold out of Pimms,
-
the gin-based liqueur that -
mixed with fruit and fizzy lemonade - is
England's archetypal summer drink.
-
Supermarket chain Waitrose said
sales of Pimms are up by more than 260
percent compared to last year.
-
It is a welcome boost for
struggling retailers as The Bank of
England warned that the extra holidays will hit economic output,
-
but some stores, at least, have reason to celebrate.
-
Food and clothing chain Marks and
Spencer said it had sold more than 200,000 jubilee teacakes,
-
50,000 commemorative cookie tins
and 31 miles of bunting.
-
Gift shops and departments stores
are stocked with souvenirs that range from classy to kitschy,
-
and from cheap to cheekily
expensive.
-
The Royal Collection is offering
an official Diamond Jubilee tea blend, ￡8.95 pounds and a cake at ￡14.95, from a
recipe by Fiona
-
Cairns, who baked Prince William
and Kate Middleton's wedding cake. Don't forget the cake stand - yours for ￡395.
It would not be a British
occasion without a touch of the eccentric, irreverent and even downright tacky.
House and garden supply chain
B&Q says it has sold 3,100 jubilee garden gnomes - pointy-headed lawn
ornaments styled on the queen
-
and her husband, Prince Philip.
-
An online sex toy retailer is
offering - to put it delicately - glittering royal adornments for the nether
regions.
And enterprising English designer
Lydia Leith, who had a cult hit last year with her custom-made royal wedding
sick bags,
-
has designed a series of temporary tattoos of corgis,
crowns and carriages, as well as a jelly mold in the shape of the queen's head.
-
'It's not meant to be offensive
in any way. It's just meant to be fun,' said Leith, who will be selling her
wares at a
-
jubilee festival in London's Battersea Park on Sunday.
-
'There's something for everyone.
If you don't like the royal family you can buy a sick bag. If you do, you can
buy a tattoo.'
