I could not resist watching this celebration live from the crowds as it was a historic event, which will not be seen again in my lifetime. This post is just to share my photos.
Saturday, when the Queen was at the derby, I went to Tower Bridge to photograph the tall ships that would line the river below the bridge on the following day. I had previously had a sneak preview of the Gloriana rowing barge built for the occasion.
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| Gloriana moored at Richmond |
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| Tall ships |
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| Ships with the City beyond |
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| The Pool of London from Tower Bridge |
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Sunday was the greatest day, a river pageant with hundreds of boats. I love my River Thames - I've walked every mile of it, swum in it, boated on it, rowed on it - and I love London, too. So I couldn't miss this occasion in the life of my beloved river. Three hours waiting in a crowd then two hours watching the whole thing float past in the rain, was still worth it. Here are some shots I took from my vantage point near the Oxo Tower.
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| The Canaletto shot |
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| The royal barge |
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| Historic ships |
Monday evening was the jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace (though I spent the day with friends)
Tuesday saw the cathedral service and the carriage procession to Buckingham Palace. I was in Trafalgar Square and got some great photos, though I could only see the heads of the cavalrymen.
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| A fashion and dance show covering six decades, starting here with the | '50s. |
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| Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, gave a short, entertaining speech. |
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| Now this is where a telephoto lens might have come in handy - Life Guards ride through Trafalgar Square |
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| WWII aircraft fly past |
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| Red Arrows over St Martin-in-the-Fields |
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| Nelson and the Red Arrows. I love this shot. |
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| The flypast heading towards the palace |
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| Tickertape |
What an amazing and memorable weekend. Millions of people were out despite the rain.
Now for another event that won’t be seen again in my lifetime – the transit of Venus. If only these rainclouds would go away ...
Sue x
