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River thames becomes royal highway for queen elizabeth ii's diamondjubilee with 1,000 boats by ferujkll sdff
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River thames becomes royal highway for queen elizabeth ii's diamondjubilee with 1,000 boats by FERUJKLL SDFF
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| Article Posted: 05/09/2013 |
| Article Views: 115 |
| Articles Written: 2023 - MORE ARTICLES FROM THIS AUTHOR |
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River thames becomes royal highway for queen elizabeth ii's diamondjubilee with 1,000 boats |
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LONDON – The River Thames became a royal highway Sunday, as Queen ElizabethII led a motley but majestic flotilla of more than 1,000 vessels ina waterborne pageant to mark her Diamond Jubilee. In a colorful salute to the island nation's maritime past, anarmada of skiffs and sailboats, rowboats and paddle steamers joineda flower-festooned royal barge down a 7-mile (11-kilometer) stretchof London's river. With a crowd of rain-soaked spectators estimated by organizers at1.25 million cheering from the riverbanks, the pageant was thelargest public event in four days of celebrations of the monarch's60 years on the throne. On Monday, the queen will join thousands ofrevelers at an outdoor concert beside Buckingham Palace, headlinedby pop royalty including Paul McCartney and Elton John. With any luck, the weather will improve.
Sunday was dismal anddamp, with rain scuttling plans for a ceremonial fly past, but thatdidn't stop Union Jack-waving spectators forming a red, white andblue wave along the pageant route. "It would have been wonderful if it had been sunny like last Sundaybut we have come prepared," said 57-year-old Christine Steele. "Wehave got blankets, brollies (umbrellas), flags and bunting. We evengot our glittery Union Jack hats and wigs, and the Champagne is onice." The 86-year-old queen wore a silver and white dress and matchingcoat — embroidered with gold, silver and ivory spots andembellished with Swarovski crystals to evoke the river — forher trip aboard the barge Spirit of Chartwell, decorated for theoccasion in regal red, gold and purple velvet.
The queen's grandson, Prince William, and his wife, the Duchess ofCambridge — he in his Royal Air Force uniform, she in a redAlexander McQueen dress — and William's brother, PrinceHarry, were among senior royals who joined the queen and herhusband, Prince Philip. After a celebratory peal of bells from a special belfry barge, theroyal boat sailed downstream at a stately 4 knots (4.6 mph, 7.4kph), accompanied by tugs, pleasure craft, narrow boats, kayaks,gondolas, dragon boats and even a replica Viking longboat. Also in the flotilla were more than three dozen "Dunkirk LittleShips," private boats that rescued thousands of British soldiersfrom the beaches of France after the German invasion in 1940— a defeat that became a major victory for wartime morale. The vessels sailed past some of London's great landmarks —including the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and St.
Paul'sCathedral — before ending their journey near Tower Bridge.Downriver, sailing ships too tall to fit under London's bridgeswere moored along both banks of the river. The queen traveled down a river transformed during her reign, fromthe commercial and industrial heart of London to a — muchcleaner — playground for tourists and pleasure craft. The pageant evoked a time when it was vital to London, and toBritain. Monarchs used the river as their main highway forcenturies, and river processions were once common in London. Thelast comparable royal pageant was held for King Charles II in 1662,when diarist Samuel Pepys recorded boats so numerous he could "seeno water." At Tower Bridge — the final bridge before the river reachesthe sea — a fanfare rang out and the two blue arms known asbascules were raised in salute to the royal boat.
The pageant was a visual spectacle, accompanied by a wall of sound.The river rang with spectators' cheers, ships' horns, church bellsand the sound of barge-borne bands playing everything from Handel's"Water Music" to Bollywood anthems and — as the vesselspassed the headquarters of the MI6 spy agency — the JamesBond theme. The pageant ended with a slightly soggy burst of fireworks overTower Bridge — and news from Guinness World Records that ithad broken the record for largest parade of boats. The four-day Diamond Jubilee celebrations also included thousandsof street parties across the country on Sunday. Prince Charles andhis wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, joined hundreds of peoplefor a damp al fresco lunch on Piccadilly, one of London's mainshopping streets. But a lunch organized by Prime Minister David Cameron's staff inDowning St.
was moved indoors because of the rain. Not everyone in Britain was celebrating. Hundreds anti-monarchistsheld a riverbank protest to oppose the wave of jubilee-mania— though their chants were quickly countered by renditions of"God Save the Queen" from pageant-goers. "People are sick and tired of being told they must celebrate 60years of one very privileged, very remote and very uninspiring headof state," said Graham Smith of the anti-monarchist group Republic."The hereditary system is offensive to all the democratic valuesthis country has fought for in the past." Jubilee celebrations kicked off Saturday with a royal day at theraces, as the queen — a racing fan and horse breeder —watched a horse with the courtly name of Camelot win the EpsomDerby. The events end Tuesday with a religious service at St.
Paul'sCathedral, a carriage procession through the streets of London andthe queen's appearance with her children, grandchildren andgreat-grandchildren on the palace balcony. The queen took the throne in 1952 on the death of her father, KingGeorge VI, and most Britons have known no other monarch. Many who stood in the rain for hours along the river Sunday forglimpse of their monarch said it had been worth it. "It really was exciting, it's one of those moments, said41-year-old Sarah O'Connor. "She's on our stamps, our coins, ourpost boxes — she is our queen.
God save the queen." _____ Associated Press Writer Cassandra Vinograd contributed to thisreport. ___ Online:. I am an expert from Optical Drives, usually analyzes all kind of industries situation, such as outdoor audio speakers , amd 64 combo.
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