It’s certainly shaping up to be a hell of a day for the royals. First thing this morning The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh saw, for the first time, the lavish £1m barge, Gloriana, that will convey them down the River Thames during the Jubilee pageant on 3 June.
It was a wet and windy morning, and at one point Prince Philip, who was without a hat, was heard advising his wife to shelter form the inclement weather.
The royal couple travelled to the East London dock where Gloriana is currently moored, and boarded the boat for a look around after the official naming ceremony was concluded.Gloriana.
The 94-foot vessel, decorated with gold leaf and ornately carved, harks back 200 years to the days when Kings and Queens travelled by water in opulent style. It will be the star attraction in this summer’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant—a 1,000-strong flotilla of boats with the Queen and the Duke at its heart.
