Queen Elizabeth II - the monarch of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth - celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in style.
The Gloriana leads the River Pageant Image: Ian Patterson99 |
As well as visits by other members of the Royal Family to parts of the Commonwealth, including Canada, the build-up to the Jubilee weekend included a tour of the UK by the Queen and her husband The Duke of Edinburgh.
The weekend itself was marked with street parties across the UK as well as showpiece events involving the Queen and the Royal Family.
Amongst the highlights were: a visit to the famous Epsom Derby horse race; a ceremonial service at St Paul's Cathedral; a concert outside the royal residence, Buckingham Palace, given by mainly British musicians and comedians, including Sir Elton John and Sir Tom Jones to an audience of tens of thousands lining The Mall; lunch with leaders of the Commonwealth and the lighting of what eventually became more than 4,000 beacons across the UK and around the world on 4th June - double the original planned number.
Arguable the most impressive event, however, was the River Pageant which reflected the historical river festivals seen in previous Centuries in London and other cities such as Venice. The seven-mile-long Pageant was the largest ever held on the River Thames, involving more than 1,000 boats - many of them powered by rowers - from working boats to ferries, music barges and historic World War II ships.
The flotilla was led by a newly cast ring of bells which were hung on a barge. This was followed by the Gloriana - The Queen's Royal Row Barge rowed by Olympic and Transatlantic rowers. The Queen and the Royal Family themselves were transported down the River in a specially constructed, powered, Royal Barge - The Spirit of Chartwell.