River pageant and special medal for Diamond Jubilee

June 21, 2011

A spectacular river pageant is planned for this year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, as well as a special medal being issued and a London Borough being granted Royal status

To give a little background on the Jubilee: Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and her Coronation took place on 2 June 1953. The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years) in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee (50 years) in 2002. The only other British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee was Queen Victoria in 1897.

A special medal will be issued this year to mark the Diamond Jubilee. The Diamond Jubilee Medal will be presented to a select few in recognition of their dedication to their Queen and country. Public servants, including service men and women, as well as volunteers in the community, are likely to be among those chosen to receive this great honour.

Also, to coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Greenwich will become a Royal Borough. This is a rare honour, with only three other places in England holding ‘Royal Borough Status’ – Kensington and Chelsea, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Kingston-upon-Thames.

More than a million people are expected to line the banks of the Thames for the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, billed as a “once in a lifetime party,” on 3 June, 2012. When The Queen travels in her special Royal Barge down the River Thames, it is expected that between 30,000 and 40,000 people will join her in the flotilla, on the water.

The Queen will disembark at Tower Bridge to watch the flotilla salute her as it goes past. The procession will begin at Putney Bridge and continue to Canary Wharf. The pageant will begin at 2:30pm on the ebbing tide and is expected to end at 5pm.

Members of the public will be able to apply online to take part in the flotilla with their own boats. They will then be vetted before places are allocated. There will also be places available on a number of 240-passenger boats.

Read a free online preview of Elizabeth: The Queen our special Diamond Jubilee souvenir magazine.

Published by BRITAIN – the official magazine of VisitBritain – to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, Elizabeth – The Queen charts Her Majesty’s public and personal life during 60 fascinating years at the head of the world’s most famous Royal Family.

Read the first chapter below and order your souvenir copy here

For more information and to order your copy, click here

For the latest information on the Diamond Jubilee visit our Diamond Jubilee page