.....More Jubilee-ation

What's a royal celebration without a parade?  Several friends of mine and I mustered up the energy to once again participate in some Royal Watching and headed toward the Mall for the Royal Procession.  Only, instead of the Mall, where thousands upon thousands would be gathered, Eve had the brilliant idea of going to Whitehall instead, where the procession would be leaving Westminster Hall and heading towards Buckingham Palace and the crowds would be lighter.  (This idea of finding the perfect location to Royal Watch is becoming a science!)

We stood near the Cenotaph, a WWI war memorial, which proved to be an interesting viewing area as all parade participants who passed it did so with the greatest respect.  Band members and soldiers alike turned as they passed and, in perfect unison, bowed their heads or saluted.  Likewise, the male members of the Royal Family removed their top hats upon passing this site.

There were numerous marching bands,

guards standing at attention and

doing a little crowd control.

The guards were required to stand in exact increments along the parade route and there were stringent  inspections.

In contrast, these police were having a friendly chat and

this cute military policeman in particular was so friendly.  He gave us all the inside scoop as to when the Queen would be making her appearance.

In addition, there were countless more troops and beautiful horses in all their finery,

It was all so well-orchestrated.  Of course, they practice year-round for various events.  I remember being in Hyde Park a few weeks ago, watching them practice early in the morning.  

The horse and guards weren't the only ones decked out!  These ladies told us they bought their raincoats at Primark for £5.

And here we are - Eve, Pam, Roxanne in her sunglasses/tiara get-up, me in my royal purple and Debi awaiting the carriages - not ours, unfortunately!

Pam wouldn't take her tiara off even when it started to rain a little.

And speaking of royal carriages.......  at first, the Royal Family came through in cars on their way to Westminster Hall, where they had a luncheon.  

Look, there's the Queen and one of her ladies-in-waiting in this car.  Prince Phillip was hospitalized after all the revelry from the river procession on Saturday so he wasn't beside her.

And here's Prince Harry.

Now, the best part was watching them return...

Queen Elizabeth and the next queen Camilla? (there are rumors...)

Prince Charles looking dapper.

Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William).

The future King and Queen of England!

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

I'm sure the whole world knows that Queen Elizabeth, the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, has just celebrated her 60th year on the throne.  Her longevity as British monarch is only surpassed by Queen Victoria, who reigned for 64 years, from 1837 to 1901.  The Jubilee was celebrated in a way only the British can do - with loads of pomp and circumstance!

A four-day holiday weekend was formed to celebrate the event, starting with a display of "big" ships moored on the River Thames.  

It seems to me that the British have a love-hate relationship with the Royals - they either love it or they hate it!  Many of those that hate it took the opportunity to leave the country and go on a holiday.   Aside from the areas where the Jubilee activities were taking place, the streets of London were relatively quiet.

The iconic Tower Bridge in the background.

The British love their bunting (string of British flags) and it could be seen strewn all over the city - on their boats

and pretty much everywhere it can be attached.  This is the Dickens Inn, located in St. Katherine's Wharf.

Flats in this modern apartment building located on the river were perfect for viewing the upcoming 

Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.  I'm guessing the owners of these places suddenly had more friends than they ever imagined!

The ones that love it were out in full force to take part in the festivities. We headed down to the River in the late morning in order to stake out our territory.  As you can see, the drizzly, cold day in June wasn't enough to keep the spectators from vying for a good spot.  There were also large screens set up in various venues around the city enabling even the height-challenged on-lookers a good view.

We were perched near the Albert Bridge in Chelsea, somewhat near where the flotilla began.  These fans even had their own "queen" in attendance.

 The flotilla consisted of up to 1,000 boats, assembled from across the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world.  It was the largest assemblage of boats to ever grace the Thames at one time.

The myriad of vessels ranged from steam boats to tall ships, from cruisers to kayaks and from Dunkirk little ships to Dragon boats.

The boats representing the Commonwealth countries.

A beautiful Royal Barge – The Spirit of Chartwell – decorated in red and gold and featuring The Queen’s cipher and a crown carried The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, along with other members of the Royal Family.  

Kate looked stunning in bright red

and the Queen (age 86) and Prince Phillip (age 91) amazed the crowds by proudly standing at their perch on the Barge for FOUR hours waving at the crowds that lined the banks of the river in the Queen's honor.

More pomp and circumstance to come......