Still on Britain celebrtion-Looking ship shape: Queen's barge decked out in flowers as final preparations are made for Sunday's Jubilee River Pageant

• Up to a million people are expected to line the banks of the River Thames and nearby open spaces on Sunday to watch a majestic 1,000-strong flotilla sail through London on Sunday
• Flotilla will include narrow boats, steam boats, rowing boats, barges and around 40 Dunkirk 'little ships' that evacuated Allied troops from French beaches in 1940
• Stars like Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John will perform at a concert on Monday
• Almost six million Britons plan to throw a Jubilee party this weekend, according to a study
• Forecasters predict a return of the Royal jubilee and coronation weather 'curse' returns with rain of up to two inches of rain

A pair of red-velvet thrones - poorly concealed beneath transparent plastic sheeting - are the giveaway to this magnificent floating palace.
It will carry the Queen along the length of the river Thames ahead of 1,000-strong flotilla of especially selected ships and boats to celebrate Diamond Jubilee.
She will be joined on the gilt-edged perches by The Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family in an event that will draw millions of people to London's river bank on Sunday.
And today hundreds of flowers from the Queen's gardens were painstakingly laid as the finishing touches to the waterborne extravaganza were being laid.

Finishing touches: A pair of red-velvet thrones - poorly concealed beneath transparent plastic sheeting - are the giveaway to this magnificent floating palace... the barge that will carry the Queen

The flotilla will include vessels in all shapes and sizes, from narrow boats to steam boats and rowing boats to around 40 Dunkirk 'little ships' that evacuated Allied troops from French beaches in 1940.

 

Decked with flowers from the Queen's gardens, the Spirit of Chartwell will echo the richly-decorated royal barges of the 17th and 18th centuries and will be the centrepiece of the water-borne extravaganza which celebrates her 60-year reign and the nation's maritime heritage.

Colourful: Traditional English Roses and Lavender on board the Royal Barge before Sunday's waterborne extravaganza

The stem of beauty: Chief flower arrangers Rachel de Thame and Mark Fane arrange Roses on board the Royal Barge

Important: Chief flower arranger Kitty Arden (in white) at work on the floral decorations for the event in a nearby warehouse

These are the first pictures taken of the inside of the vessel since its owner Philip Morrell, 67, spent £8 million renovating her last year.
The interior mirrors the grandeur of the 1929 Cote D'Azur Pullman Express Railway carriages complete with artifacts from the original train and ocean going liners.
Dubbed a floating 'Savoy Hotel' The Spirit of Chartwell has 20 cabins and a deck fit for a Queen.
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.

Lavish: These are the first pictures taken of the inside of the vessel since its owner Philip Morrell, 67, spent £8 million renovating her last year

Fit for a Queen: The interior mirrors the grandeur of the 1929 Cote D'Azur Pullman Express Railway carriages complete with artifacts from the original train and ocean going liners

And stars like Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John will perform at a concert the following day in honour of the longest reigning monarch since Queen Victoria.
Almost six million Britons plan to throw a Jubilee party this weekend, according to a study.
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.

Gloriana: The £1m boat that will the lead the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant alongside the Royal Barge

Royal Barge: The Queens Barge Gloriana is moored at Richmond upon Thames in south west London. It will follow the Spirit of Chartwell in the Flotilla

Opulent: Gloriana has been decked out with all the trimmings of a royal vessel

The emblem of Wales is mounted on to the Royal Barge as last-minute preparations are finalised for the huge Pageant

A St Paul’s Cathedral service of thanksgiving will be the highlight of Tuesday, ending with the Queen appearing on Buckingham Palace’s balcony to acknowledge the tens of thousands expected to fill The Mall.
Prime Minister David Cameron, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and other senior royals will join prominent individuals from the UK and abroad at many of the events.

Interviewed by Parliament’s The House magazine ahead of the celebrations, Mr Cameron said: 'I owe the Queen a huge debt for the wisdom she has shown me over the past couple of years. Six decades of service have given her an acute sense of what matters, what is permanent, and what is in Britain’s best interests.

History: The New Britannic, a barge and 'little ship' which saved 3000 lives in the Dunkirk evacuation. Around 40 Dunkirk 'little ships' that evacuated Allied troops from French beaches in 1940 will take part in the pageant

Well polished: Crew member Sue Jones polishes a bell at South Quay, where many of the boats are moored

Well flagged: A woman puts the finishing touches to her barge at South Quay

Ready to chug behind the Queen: Narrowboat flotilla in British Waterways' West India Lock, in London

Ready: Tenacious in British Waterways' West India Dock, left, and more boats sail along the Thames to moor before the big day, right

Avenue of sail: A general view of activity at St Katharine's docks as the first sailing boats are anchored in position downstream of Tower Bridge, ready to form the 'Avenue Of Sail'

'As her previous prime ministers have found, those insights are extremely useful. She is quite simply a remarkable person and a towering figure in our history. Long may she reign.'
However, the showpiece Thames boat pageant and thousands of Diamond Jubilee street parties could be washouts as forecasters predicted up to two inches of rain as British royalty’s jubilee and coronation weather 'curse' returns.
Revellers were told to pack umbrellas and coats as the Met Office forecast 'disappointing' near-nationwide maximum temperatures of 10-12C - up to 18C colder than last weekend - as other forecasters warned of freak summer frost and even snow.

Aye aye: Dandy Regent of the Association of Thames Yacht Clubs

Ready to sail: Elizabethan, which will be taking part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee pageant along the river

Fit for the water: The Barbers' Cutter from The Worshipful Company of Barbers, which will be taking part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee pageant along the river Thames

Full steam ahead: Alaska, the oldest working passenger vessel on the Thames

Barge owners participating in the River Pageant moor up as they prepare their vessels at South Quay

A man puts the finishing touches to his boat at South Quay, where many of the boats are moored ahead of taking part in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant

All hands on deck? Well, almost all! The Royal Pageant is set to be a once-in-a-lifetime showcase

Government weathermen said the Queen and 150,000 horse-racing fans’ trip to the Derby at Epsom, Surrey, tomorrow will see 18C sunny spells but also showers in the South. The North will be colder at 13C, but drier.
The Queen’s coronation on June 2, 1953, was an 11C washout. Buckingham Palace revellers built makeshift tents to shelter from downpours and strong northerly winds.
The Silver Jubilee on June 7, 1977, saw showers and 14C. Freak summer snow settled in the North and 20 people were rescued from Channel storms.
George VI suffered a cold, grey May 1937 coronation, while Queen Victoria’s June 1897 Diamond Jubilee was hit by hailstorms, thunder and lightning, leading meteorologist Philip Eden said.
'British kings and queens’ coronations and jubilees have a dreadful weather reputation,' Mr Eden said.

Flashback: How the pageant might look

It will not be the first time the river Thames sees a flotilla of thousands of boats take to its waters in the wake of a royal barge.
In 1822 King George IV made the first state visit to Scotland by a reigning monarch since Charles II's coronation in January 1651.
The King left Greenwich, in London, followed by thousands of tributary vessels, in scenes immortalised by Robert Havell in his famous 1922 watercolour, The Embarkation of George IV for Scotland.

The Embarkation of George IV for Scotland in 1822: The watercolour, by Robert Havell, shows the royal yacht attended by city barges, steamers and a host of smaller vessels and huge crowds at Greenwich cheering the flotilla

In 1849 Prince Albert took two of his sons to the opening of the Royal Coal Exchange followed by thousands of Londoners eager to sail as close to the Royal Family as possible.
That barge was called Prince Frederick's Barge and, unlike the Spirit of Chartwell, courtiers had to row all the way from Parliament to the new exchange.
Prince Frederick's Barge was then sawn into three sections and stored in the Royal Barge House at Windsor Great Park for over 100 years before being brought to the Museum.

Royal barges of the past: The Royal Barge embarking from Westminster by John Oakes shows the Royal Barge with Prince Albert and the young Prince of Wales on board sailing past Parliament in 1849