Wishing all my fellow Brits a great Diamond Jubilee Weekend (4 Day), whether you take part in the celebrations or just take the time off work to relax have a good one!
Blast-off for Jubilee celebrations as 21-gun salute is fired from Royal Navy warship in front of cheering crowds (who aren't going to be put off by a forecast of weekend rain)
* 2,000 military personnel carried out a full dress rehearsal at the crack of dawn ahead of Tuesday's State Procession
* Bring a brolly as rain is forecast for the Thames River Pageant on Sunday and the State Procession on Tuesday
* Six million are expected to take to the roads at start of four-day weekend getaway while a further 2million head abroad
Wet weather forecasts have failed to dampen spirits as the Diamond Jubilee celebrations were today launched in dramatic fashion as the Royal Navy warship HMS Diamond fired a 21-gun salute as it sailed into Portsmouth Harbour.
Hundreds of onlookers waved flags and cheered as the Type 45 destroyer returned to its home base accompanied by a diamond formation flypast of four navy helicopters, two Merlin and two Lynx.
As the warship fired its salvo, the navy saluting gun overlooking the harbour entrance at Fort Blockhouse, Gosport, Hampshire, fired 21 times in return.
Going off with a bang: HMS Diamond as she fires a 21 gun salute outside Porstmouth Harbour to officially launch celebrations to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this weekend
Entering port: HMS Diamond is led into the Portsmouth Harbour by two Royal Navy patrol vessels HMS Raider and HMS Blazer after firing a 21 gun salute which was answered by the navy saluting gun over the harbour entrance
Getting the party started: Delighted onlookers wave as HMS Diamond enters Portsmouth Harbour after firing a 21 gun salute to officially launch this weekend's festivities
HMS Diamond was then carefully led into the harbour by two RN patrol vessels - HMS Raider and HMS Blazer. After berthing at Portsmouth Naval Base, a street party was held on the ship’s flight deck for the 190 crew and guests.
HMS Diamond’s commanding officer Commander Ian Clarke said: 'It is a real honour for HMS Diamond to salute Her Majesty the Queen as she celebrates not only 60 years on the throne but 60 years as head of the armed forces.
'By happy coincidence, 2012 is an important year for HMS Diamond as we sail for our maiden operational deployment in a couple of weeks’ time.
'When we came in this morning we had not realised how many people there would be - it was a really emotional moment for us.'
Commander Ian Clarke (with three stripes on his uniform), commanding officer of HMS Diamond, toasts Her Majesty the Queen after the 21 gun salute
Fleet Commander, Admiral George Zambellas, added: 'It is fitting that Her Majesty’s Ship Diamond should mark Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee in this way.
'The Queen’s affection for and commitment to the armed forces have touched the lives of many servicemen and women and their families over the past 60 years and I am proud that HMS Diamond is helping to launch this special weekend of celebrations across our island nation.'
The gunfire salute signalled the start of the Jubilee celebrations that will be held over the four-day weekend with a State Procession to Buckingham Palace acting as the grand finale to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
As most of London still slept in bed, the armed forces rehearsed a spectacular Jubilee procession through the deserted streets of the capital at the crack of dawn this morning.
With the sun barely risen, hundreds of soldiers mounted on horseback made for a magnificent sight on the eerily quite streets of London as they tested out the route for the State Procession.
These photos of the full dress rehearsal give a sneak glimpse of the glorious procession that will be unveiled on Tuesday when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh leave a celebratory lunch at Westminster Hall for Buckingham Palace.
Crew aboard HMS Dauntless form a salute with a difference on the ship's deck
And HMS Daring's Ship's Company joined in the celebrations by forming their own 'E II R' formation on the flight deck to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Helicopters joined in the fun by hovering over the HMS Westminster's salute for the Queen
Being away from home hasn't stopped the members of 902 EAW commemorating the Diamond Jubilee
Her Majesty's loyal troops serving at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan parading in the shape of a giant E II R
But while the military were making sure their parade was timed to perfection, weather forecasters predicted that Tuesday could be greeted by heavy rain and cold weather.
Tom Tobler, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said those celebrating the jubilee should expect much cooler and rainier conditions than of late.
While temperatures should reach around 19C (66F) on Friday and Saturday, they could dip as low as 13C (55F) in parts of the south on Sunday as a weather front moves in from the south-west.
Northern England and Scotland could well escape the cold and rain on Sunday while Monday could be warmer and drier everywhere.
Mr Tobler said: 'Bank holiday Tuesday could be dry to start with, but rain could come in from the west later in the day.'
Final preparations to the stage outside Buckingham Palace were made today for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The Mall is cleaned in final preparations for the weekend's festivities
But none of this stopped members of The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment holding a perfect practice run of the route the Queen will take on Tuesday's Procession - riding from the Palace of Westminster along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, then through Admiralty Arch and along the Mall to Buckingham Palace.
The procession will end with the Queen appearing on Buckingham Palace’s balcony to acknowledge the tens of thousands expected to fill The Mall.
The Queen and other Royals will then watch the fly past of a Dakota flanked by two King Air aircraft, and a Lancaster, Spitfires and a Hurricane from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, followed by a display by the Red Arrows.
Armed guard: Soldiers of The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment lead the full dress rehearsal of the State Procession from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace that will end the Jubilee celebrations on Tuesday
Riding down The Mall: The 1902 state landau carriage, which was used by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day and will transport the Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday, was also used in the rehearsal
This morning, the entire length of the route was lined with personnel from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, Foot Guards and Massed Bands of the Household Division, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and the Queen's Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force, in a testament to Britain’s proud military history.
The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery simulated firing a 60-gun salute on Horse Guards Parade for when the Queen leaves Westminster Hall as some 2,000 servicemen and women took part in the rehearsal.
The 1902 state landau carriage, which was used by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day and will transport the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh from Westminster Hall on Tuesday following a lunch after the thanksgiving service, even made an appearance during the rehearsal.
While it remained empty during the rehearsal this morning, a few lucky early morning joggers got a rare up-close look at the black carriage with its gold and red detailing as it travelled past.
Practicing: Foot Guards and the Massed Bands of the Household Division wore their bearskins to become accustomed to the extra weight today but they will not don the rest of their formal red regalia until the official procession on Tuesday
It will be the focus of the nation’s attention on Tuesday as the hundreds of thousands of flag-waving well-wishers expected to descend along the route attempt to catch a glimpse of her Majesty inside the carriage.
Speaking after the rehearsal, Warrant Officer 1 Paul Barker, state ceremonial training officer for the Royal Navy, said he was delighted by how well it had gone.
He said: ‘It went very well this morning. We are at the right stage that we need to be at, we don’t want to peak too early but it’s everything I expected them to achieve.
‘On Tuesday there will be a mixture of nerves and pride; this is a one-off event, it’s not going to happen again in our lifetime and it will give us lots and lots of memories for the future. We have lots of pep talks with our sailors and it’s nice to see young sailors in naval uniform on the streets of the capital.’
London calling: Streets around Westminster were empty for the dress rehearsal as the Royal carriage rode past but are expected to be filled with up to a million well-wishers on Tuesday
Up to a million people are expected to line the banks of the River Thames and nearby open spaces to watch a majestic 1,000-strong flotilla sail through London on Sunday.
The Queen will join Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry on the Royal Barge for the River Pageant.
Lavishly decorated with replica carvings and sporting a majestic red, gold and purple colour scheme, the vessel will be the centre of the flotilla featuring every conceivable vessel from kayaks and steam paddlers to rowing boats and skiffs.
And stars like Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John will perform at a concert on Monday in honour of the longest reigning monarch since Queen Victoria.
A special visual tribute will see Diamond Jubilee Beacons light up the night sky across the UK on Monday, with more than 4,000 expected to be lit here and in the Commonwealth.
Representing Britain: Foot Guards and Massed Bands of the Household Division as well as the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment prepared for parading in front of millions of spectators
But the road are expected to be jammed as around four million Britons intend to take trips in the UK while two million UK travellers heading overseas, taking advantage of the double bank holiday.
Travel organisation Abta said many tourists keen to exploit the pound’s strength against the euro are visiting Spain and its islands, as well as Greece.
The most popular long-haul destinations are Florida and Mexico and the favourite city breaks are Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Rome and New York, it said.
Over the weekend 410,000 passengers will leave from Heathrow airport, 200,000 from Gatwick, 140,000 from Manchester, 120,000 from Stansted, 60,000 from Luton and 60,000 from Birmingham, according to Abta.
Baggage handlers and other ground staff at Stansted are to go ahead with a four-day strike over the weekend after talks failed to resolve a row over new rosters.
Members of the GMB and Unite employed by contractor Swissport have already taken industrial action, although the company said it failed to have any impact on passengers.
Fit for Royalty: The 1902 state landau carriage was also used by Prince William and Kate Middleton on their wedding day
The unions claimed new rosters threatened pay cuts for their members. A union source said two sets of talks this week had not made enough progress for the strike to be called off. Workers will strike for four days from Saturday morning.
The Highways Agency said around 275 miles of roadworks on England’s motorways and major A roads would be completed before the weekend and a further 43 miles of works would be lifted from 6am on Friday to midnight on Tuesday.
Among works still in place are those on the M1 between junctions 10 and 13 in the Luton area of Bedfordshire.
The AA and traffic information company Trafficmaster say the main getaway on the roads was likely to seen this afternoon and on Saturday.
Busy spots are likely to be the A303 from the M3 through Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset; the M5 in the West Country; and the M6 through Staffordshire and Cheshire into Lancashire.
No engineering works are on the London Underground this week and many main-line train companies that run services to and from London are said to be providing additional trains or carriages at certain times to cope with the higher numbers visiting the capital for jubilee events.
The rail industry said the vast majority of passengers travelling over the bank holiday weekend would not be disrupted by engineering work.
But buses will replace trains on some routes.
Place to take refuge: If it does rain, the Churchill Arms in Kensington Church Street will no doubt help you keep in the Jubilee spirit
One service that will have engineering works is the Stansted Express which takes passengers between Liverpool Street station and Stansted Airport in Essex. This route will have a reduced service from Saturday until bank holiday Tuesday.
Transport company National Express said around 30,000 people will travel to London on its coaches over the weekend and that the busiest departure points will be Bournemouth, Bristol and Birmingham.
Transport for London advised motorists to avoid central London for all but essential journeys over the weekend.
London Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said: 'Central London will be very busy throughout the weekend and everyone intending to be in central London should use public transport, plan their journeys ahead and check before they travel.'
Traffic information company Inrix said severe congestion is likely in London on Sunday, with the Jubilee River Pageant closing seven Thames bridges.
Patriotic fever: A London bus and classic black cab drive under row upon row of Union Jack flags hanging over Regent Street in the capital as the nation gears up for a right Royal celebration
GUIDE TO THE FOUR-DAY WEEKEND: THE DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS ITINERARY
What's on in London this weekend:
* Saturday, June 2:
1pm: The second day of the Epsom Derby will be attended by Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. Organisers expect more than 200,000 people to attend the horse-racing event. Katherine Jenkins will sing the National Anthem and the Red Arrow will perform an air display.
All afternoon: Hyde Park Jubilee Family Festival will feature food and music for all ages.
* Sunday, June 3:
11.30am: Start of the Thames Jubilee Pageant as more than 1,000 vessels muster between Hammersmith and Battersea bridges.
2pm: Queen arrives at Chelsea Pier to board the Royal barge
2.40pm: Jubilee bells mark the official start of the pageant.
5.30pm: Last vessel in the pageant, Symphony, passes Tower Bridge
* Monday, June 4:
7.30pm: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace featuring performances by Shirley Bassey, Alfie Boe, Renée Fleming, Jools Holland, Jessie J, JLS, Sir Elton John, Grace Jones, Sir Tom Jones, Lang Lang, Annie Lennox, Madness, Sir Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue, Sir Cliff Richard, Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams and Stevie Wonder.
10.30pm: 4,000 beacons will be lit round country with the Queen lighting last one – the national Beacon - followed by Firework display at Buckingham palace.
* Tuesday, June 5:
9am: The National service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral led by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family.
10.30am: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are driven from St Paul's to Mansion House reception.
12.45pm: The Queen attends a Westminster Hall lunch with 700 guests, including Kate and Prince William.
2.20pm: The State Procession begins as the Royal carriage leaves Westminster Hall for Buckingham palace while a 60-gun salute is fired.
2.40pm: The Royal carriage arrives at Buckingham Palace.
3.30pm: Royal Family appears on Palace balcony and watches RAF fly-past and a cascade of rifle fire interspersed by the National Anthem.
More images here
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-wont-dampen-celebrations.html#ixzz1wa4dWIah
