-
Welcome to the discussion forums. To get posting, register an account.
Medusa
Turns People to Stone
Australian among the royals for pageant
A very proud Australian will take to London's River Thames for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
IT'LL be Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! - ahoy! ahoy! ahoy! as Queen Elizabeth II sails on a royal barge down the River Thames as part of a huge pageant marking her Diamond Jubilee.
The flotilla of more than 1000 boats is the high water mark of the national celebrations for the 86-year-old monarch's 60th year on the throne.
And a team of Australian rowers, in nine surf lifesaver boats, will be at the head of the motley fleet.
"We keep being told that it's not a race, so we have to keep in line, and even though we will want to race each other, it's not a race," said Sarah Handley, 22, from Brisbane.
Nevertheless, it will be one of the biggest events of its kind in London's history.
More than one million revellers are expected to watch the extravaganza of steam boats and tugs, speed boats and historic vessels in the first pageant on this scale on London's river since 1662.
Dunkirk "little ships" that evacuated British forces from Europe in World War II and a Chinese dragon boat are also among the vessels accompanying the queen and other royals on the 1km journey.
Britons have also planned more than 9500 street parties.
Forecasters said however that wet weather was now expected for the pageant - which starts at 1pm GMT (11pm AEST) and is expected to last four hours - and heavy rain hit the city overnight.
A four-day national jubilee holiday began today with the Queen indulging in her love of horse racing at the famed Epsom Derby horse race, where she was greeted by cheering, flag-waving crowds.
Army paratroopers swooped from the sky ahead of her arrival with husband Prince Philip, 90, and other members of the royal family, who saw favourite Camelot win Britain's richest race.
A huge red, white and blue Union flag was projected onto Buckingham Palace, and the huge London Eye ferris wheel on the Thames was illuminated in the national colours.
The celebrations come as the royal family enjoys its highest support for decades. That is especially so for the Queen, who is only the second British monarch to celebrate a diamond jubilee, after Victoria in 1897.
But the event also poses formidable security challenges.
The river pageant is by far the most complex part of the festivities, and effectively doubles up as a security rehearsal for the London Olympics that open on July 27.
Some 190 boats will sail alongside the pageant to handle security and respond to any emergencies, while around 5500 police and 7000 volunteers will be on standby.
Heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, as well as Prince William, his wife Catherine and his brother Prince Harry, are joining the queen and Prince Philip on the sumptuous red and gold royal barge.
Music ranging from the national anthem and chiming bells, to Bollywood tunes and the famous James Bond theme will blare from boats and the Thames flood barrier will be closed to ensure calm waters.
Traffic will be barred from seven of the 14 London bridges that the flotilla passes beneath.
Tomorrow there will be a concert in the shadow of Buckingham Palace featuring Paul McCartney and other top names, before the festivities culminate in the pomp and splendour of a ceremonial parade on Tuesday.
There is a history of spectacular royal celebrations on the Thames including the coronation of king Henry VIII's wife Anne Boleyn in 1533 - she was later beheaded - and a pageant for King Charles II in 1662.
After a rocky period including the death of princess Diana in 1997, today's royals are resurgent in Britain, with a recent poll showing that 80 per cent of Britons want the country to remain a monarchy.
Those levels of support are comparable to 1953, the year of the Queen's coronation.
She acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952, upon the death of her father King George VI while she was away in Kenya, and was crowned the following year on June 2.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/entertainmen...nt/story-fn907478-1226381901815#ixzz1wjGzCTJu
The Queen and her Presidents:
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/05/specials/queen.presidents/index.html
Herbert Hoover had left office 20 years before she came to the throne, they met in 1957:
Her first President, Harry Truman, photo taken in 1951:
Dwight D. Eisenhower:
John F. Kennedy:
Lyndon B. Johnson was the only US President during her reign who she didn't meet.
Richard Nixon:
Gerald Ford:
Jimmy Carter:
Ronald Reagan:
George Bush:
Bill Clinton:
George W. Bush:
Barack Obama:
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/05/specials/queen.presidents/index.html
Herbert Hoover had left office 20 years before she came to the throne, they met in 1957:
Her first President, Harry Truman, photo taken in 1951:
Dwight D. Eisenhower:
John F. Kennedy:
Lyndon B. Johnson was the only US President during her reign who she didn't meet.
Richard Nixon:
Gerald Ford:
Jimmy Carter:
Ronald Reagan:
George Bush:
Bill Clinton:
George W. Bush:
Barack Obama:
Medusa
Turns People to Stone
Just you and I Pecan
Have you noticed.Wills now has two medals. He only had one when he married.
