Diamond Jubilee

God bless her and all who sail in her! The Queen visits the Gloriana, the first royal barge to be built in 100 years, at Greenland Pier in East London

Although the Queen was warmly dressed in her deep red coat and hat, the Duke was bare headed - and seemed conscious of the weather.

At one point he could be heard advising the Queen to keep under cover after she had been to inspect the stern of the boat, which bears royal symbols and the vessel’s name.

Lord Sterling, who organised public celebrations for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, and is behind the project, thanked them for attending.

'It’s very much appreciated, in this inclement weather, that you have troubled to come,' he said.
He told reporters: 'The barge is looking very special. It will be a lasting legacy of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.'

The 94-foot vessel, decorated with gold leaf and ornately carved, harks back 200 years to when kings and queens travelled by water in opulent style.

The design, inspired by the boats from Canaletto's famous 18th Century painting of a Thames pageant, incorporates sweet chestnut wood taken from the Duchy of Cornwall estate.

The million-pound rowbarge, painstakingly hand built over four years by 60 craftsmen, will be one of the star attractions in this summer’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 4 June, and will lead a 1,000-strong flotilla of boats with the Queen and the Duke travelling at its heart.

The first royal barge to be built in 100 years, Gloriana will be powered on the day by 18 oarsmen, including Britain's greatest Olympian, Steve Redgrave.

In his Victorian study of the monarchy, Walter Bagehot warned, "We must not let daylight in upon magic." Modern communications do just that. Sometimes for the best—we know that the Queen is a brave and resourceful woman. In 1982, she calmed down a madman who had gained entry into her bedroom at Buckingham Palace. She is unaffectedly religious. She is devoted to her duty, not as a prisoner of ritual but as a practical sovereign working to preserve the monarchy as a focus of multicultural loyalty in a diverse world—and succeeding beyond any reasonable expectation.

Sometimes not for the best—a late threat to her success was the antics of the younger royals, notably Princess Diana, and the Hollywood cult of celebrity that seduced them. Celebrity and monarchy are natural enemies. The first is about enjoying fame; the second is about performing duties. Elizabeth always realized the distinction. Her third prime minister, Harold Macmillan, wrote of her decision to ignore a terrorist threat: "She is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as…a film star.... She loves her duty and means to be a Queen." For a moment around Diana's funeral, it seemed that this dutiful woman had lost ground to the glamorous "people's princess." But the febrile mood passed; the monarchy recovered its nerve. And when the Queen Mother died, her highly traditional funeral showed people rallying to the more solid ideal.

Americans may not celebrate Elizabeth II's Jubilee as fervently as some other ex-colonials. They will, however, applaud. When magic survives daylight, and the reason is duty bravely performed, we are briefly in a better world.
— Mr. O'Sullivan is the author of "The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World."

Only six members of the Royal family appeared on the balcony, and as a statement of the endurance of the monarchy, it could not have been bolder.

Flanked by her heir, the Prince of Wales, and his eventual successor, the Duke of Cambridge, the Queen used the deliberately pared-down balcony appearance to tell the nation its future is in safe hands. By showing the world the future of the monarchy, starting with the Prince of Wales, she was also delivering a clear message that there is no question of the succession skipping a generation.

She described the throng serenading her in The Mall with the National Anthem as “marvellous” and “incredible”. Her only regret was that the Duke of Edinburgh, recovering in hospital from a bladder infection, was not by her side. “She’s missing him, obviously,” the Earl of Wessex said after a brief hospital visit.

The portrait, which took six months to complete, is by British-based Australian artist Ralph Heimans, who described the Queen as “the ultimate subject”.

He was allowed one hour with the Queen, who modelled for photographs on March 21 wearing full regalia including – at the artist’s request - the robe she wore at her coronation.

"She's a beautiful subject to paint, she has a great face," Mr Heimans said.

"Because she’s an old lady and has beautiful kind eyes, instantly when she approached I was at ease... She's amazingly vulnerable. I wanted to be very honest.”

Though the sitting took place during the day at the Yellow Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, Mr Heimans, 42, set the portrait at night in Westminster Abbey, with the Queen standing at the centre circle of the Cosmati pavement, on the spot where she was crowned.