Queen Sails Through Diamond Jubilee

NPR | By Melisa Goh

Published June 3, 2012 at 12:40 PM EDT

1 of 15 — Queen Elizabeth II sailed down the River Thames on Sunday amid a motley but majestic flotilla of 1,000 vessels, mustered to mark her 60 years on the British throne.

Queen Elizabeth II sailed down the River Thames on Sunday amid a motley but majestic flotilla of 1,000 vessels, mustered to mark her 60 years on the British throne.

2 of 15 — The pageant was a nod to Britain's maritime heritage and was one of the biggest events on the river for centuries.

The pageant was a nod to Britain's maritime heritage and was one of the biggest events on the river for centuries.

3 of 15 — The queen traveled aboard the royal barge Spirit of Chartwell, decorated for the occasion in rich red, gold and purple velvet.

The queen traveled aboard the royal barge Spirit of Chartwell, decorated for the occasion in rich red, gold and purple velvet.

4 of 15 — The queen wore a silver and white dress and matching coat — embroidered with gold, silver and ivory spots and embellished with Swarovski crystals to evoke the river — for her trip.

The queen wore a silver and white dress and matching coat — embroidered with gold, silver and ivory spots and embellished with Swarovski crystals to evoke the river — for her trip.

5 of 15 — The queen's grandson Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge — he in his Royal Air Force uniform, she in a red Alexander McQueen dress — and William's brother, Prince Harry, were among senior royals who joined the queen and her husband, Prince Philip.

The queen's grandson Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge — he in his Royal Air Force uniform, she in a red Alexander McQueen dress — and William's brother, Prince Harry, were among senior royals who joined the queen and her husband, Prince Philip.

6 of 15 — Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also joined the queen for the diamond Jubilee pageant.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also joined the queen for the diamond Jubilee pageant.

7 of 15 — Crowds swelled into the thousands, with revelers in hats, flags, leggings and rain ponchos adorned with the Union flag mixing with burger and cotton-candy vendors along the 7-mile route along the Thames.

Crowds swelled into the thousands, with revelers in hats, flags, leggings and rain ponchos adorned with the Union flag mixing with burger and cotton-candy vendors along the 7-mile route along the Thames.

8 of 15 — The four-day Diamond Jubilee celebrations also include thousands of street parties across the country.

The four-day Diamond Jubilee celebrations also include thousands of street parties across the country.

9 of 15 — The festivities mark only the second time in its history the U.K. has celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of a monarch.

The festivities mark only the second time in its history the U.K. has celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of a monarch.

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Thousands are crowding the banks of the Thames today to catch a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth leading a flotilla of a thousand boats to mark her 60-year reign.

Her gilded barge is the centerpiece of what organizers are calling the biggest pageant on the river in 350 years. As NPR's Philip Reeves reports from London, a 41-gun salute echoed over the city this morning, launching what will be several days of festivities.

Pageant Master Adrian Evans has been planning Sunday's event for two years, as he told Reeves:

"It's a piece of theater on the water, and we mustn't forget that. It's not simply a question of boats. There are 10 music barges, a fabulous belfry at the front. We've got the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the back, and in the middle, we've got bagpipes, we've got brass bands. We've got all sorts."

The 86-year-old queen sails in the royal barge with her husband, Prince Philip as well as Prince William, his wife, Catherine, and his brother, Prince Harry. The armada includes more barges, pleasure craft, tugs, steamers, naval boats, tallships, kayaks — and the vessel that, at his state funeral, carried the coffin of Winston Churchill, the prime minister when Elizabeth took the throne 60 years ago.

The barge itself, as NPR's Larry Miller reports, began life as a River Thames sightseeing boat. It took six painstaking months to refit it for royalty, but now the 210-foot-long Spirit of Chartwell has been lavishly decorated with replica carvings. Not even the morning's cold, dripping rain could dampen the color scheme of red, gold and purple, resembling the royal barges of centuries past.