Thousand-ship flotilla to mark Queen’s jubilee

A SEVEN-MILE flotilla of 1,000 ships will sail down the River Thames in one of the biggest and most spectacular events ever seen in London to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne.

The £10 million pageant will include a royal barge and feature some 20,000 participants, historic boats, working vessels, small kayaks, musicians and an orchestra, as well as a unique floating bell tower.

Organisers predict millions will watch along the 25-mile stretch of the river where the flotilla will pass, with hundreds of millions expected to tune in on TV across the world to see the most dramatic display of British pomp and ceremony witnessed on the river since the 17th century.