Numb-nuts 1 Posted June 3, 2012 Today as many of you will know was the Royal Water Pageant on the river Thames in London, celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of our queen, Elizabeth II. Already many vidoes of the event are available on Youtube, however having watched the entire event on television, I can tell you it was awesome to those that enjoy such spectacles and pageantry. For me, the most outstanding moments were the first sight of the Gloriana, a royal Barge specifically built for this event in the 17th century style as depicted in the Cannaletto painting of the Lord Mayors river procession. As many of you will already know, such river processions were about traditional but dies out during the 19th century due to the foul water of the river before a proper sewerage system was introduced in Victorian London. The Gloriana will be kept for future occasions, so expect to see more river pageants in the future. Other highlights were the sight of all the different craft on the river including seagoing and canal craft, battleships, seeing Tower bridge opening to the full extent in salute (a rare event), the inclusion of the boats bearing the flags of the commonwealth countries and the wider world, included in the event. There were even Barges and boats from Venice represented. Another thing to watch out for is the arrival of The duke and duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate) who's wedding we all enjoyed in 2011. She looks so elegant and stately in her red outfit, an approprite colour for the Thames. Hope all who see it/ sawit, enjoyed it as much as I did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinbad 0 Posted June 11, 2012 I still don't understand how in the 21st century we still have monarchies based on bloodline Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
