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The Gloriana, the only vessel custom-built for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, has been carried from its workshop to the banks of the Thames at Isleworth.

The 88ft boat, which is to be presented to the Queen as a gift after the pageant, resembles the boat used by the Lord Mayor of London in the 1800s. Lord Sterling, a Tory peer, is underwriting the estimated £500,000 cost of constructing the vessel.

“I think it has come out even better than we had thought. You’ve got this combination of 21st century technology plus the skills which have been there for thousands of years in building a boat of this type,” explained Lord Sterling.
The Gloriana will lead the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, to be held on Sunday 3 June with 1,000 private boats, from canoes to historic ships, from across the UK and the Commonwealth, heading down the river.

Original Story

Sunderland is to stage its first ever tattoo for the Queen’s diamond jubilee.

More than 300 performers are expected to take part in the tattoo at St Peter’s Square at Sunderland University’s Sir Tom Cowie Campus.

The show will be narrated by Alasdair Hutton, who has written and narrated the Royal Edinburgh Military tattoo for the last 20 years.

A matinee dress rehearsal performance will take place at 14:30 BST and a main performance at 19:30 BST on 30 June.

‘Historic events’
Lord Lieutenant Nigel Sherlock said: “Red, white and blue will be the order of the day and I think it’s going to a be a fabulous event.

“We’re going to be reliving the six decades of Her Majesty’s reign, from the 1950s to the present day, with an fantastic programme of music, song and dance.

“We’ll also be charting some of the many historic events of the last 60 years, from the space age to the 2012 Olympics so we’ve certainly got quite a bit to fit in.”

The director of the event, Major Eric Ingram, directed Durham’s first tattoo in about 50 years in 2008 at Durham Cathedral’s Palace Green.

Soprano Julie Pendleton, from Gateshead, will perform at the tattoo along with Durham Army Cadet Force Band, 102 Battalion REME Pipe Band, Standard Bearers from the Royal British Legion, Highland Dancers, University of Sunderland Choir, John Rowland (tenor) and pupils from Southmoor School.

Original Article

BIRMINGHAM will be awash with fifties nostalgia during a four day celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Plans unveiled by Birmingham City Council include vintage parades, period music in the city centre and fifties themed entertainments at the annual Spring Festival in Cannon Hill Park.

Spread over four days, between June 2 and 5, celebrations will include the whole of Birmingham with community ‘Jubilee Big Lunches’ being held on June 3.

One of the special lunches will be held in the grounds of St Philip’s Cathedral.

The acclaimed City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will also perform a special concert at Symphony Hall with music from Elgar, Britten and William Walton.

The Lord Mayor’s Show, which will welcome Coun John Lines into the role and bid farewell to outgoing Lord Mayor Coun Anita Ward, will also mark 60 years since the Queen’s coronation.

Coun Martin Mullaney (Lib Dem, Kings Heath Moseley), cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture, said: “The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations will unite people of all ages and interestes throughout the city.

“From street parties to the Spring Fair, Birmingham Pride to the Book Bash, Birmingham will have a diverse range of exciting events that will allow local people and communities to come together for this fantastic bank holiday weekend.

The Birmingham Pride weekend will be kicked off on June 3 with a flamboyant procession from Victoria Square to the Gay Village in Hurst Street.

The annual Book Bash at Aston Hall will also get into a Jubilee mood on June 4 and 5 as characters depicted in the 1951 Disney classic Alice in Wonderland recreate the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

The official Jubilee thanksgiving service from St Paul’s will be screened in Victoria Square while a star-studded concert from Buckingham Palace will also be broadcast.

As well as official events hundreds of street parties are expected to be organised in a repeat of last year’s celebrations of the royal wedding between Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.

For more information on events and how to organise your own street party visit http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/bigjubileecelebrations

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have attended a church service on the eve of the Diamond Jubilee anniversary of her accession to the throne.

They joined the congregation at West Newton Church in the monarch’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

On Monday the Queen will have served 60 years as monarch, on the anniversary of the death of her father, George VI.

The milestone will be marked by several events in the coming months, with the main celebrations taking place in June.

The Queen attended a 45-minute service led by the Rev Jonathan Riviere before visiting a local Sunday school class and receiving flowers outside from waiting children.

Accession Day on 6 February is always tinged with sadness for the monarch as it is the day her father George VI died.

Winter break

She usually spends the day privately but, this year, has two engagements planned.

The Queen’s accession will be marked by a series of events this year
The monarch and Prince Philip are nearing the end of their traditional winter break at Sandringham.

It comes after the Duke of Edinburgh was treated for a blocked coronary artery shortly before Christmas.

The couple’s time at the estate has also provided him with the opportunity to convalesce.

Earlier, speaking on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show, former prime minister John Major reflected on the counsel of the Queen and the many private meetings he had with her during his premiership.

He said: “They’re very useful. I mean, where else can you talk to one person in total certainty that it’s entirely secret? That nobody is going to talk to anybody else about what is said. So they’re very free, they’re very frank, they’re very useful. And of course, the Queen has been there for 60 years.

“Her first prime minister was Winston Churchill. Most of the present cabinet weren’t born when the Queen became monarch. So there’s very little she hasn’t seen, very little she doesn’t understand. And anyone who doesn’t listen to her view and consult her when necessary is missing a huge opportunity.”

Sir John Major: “Prince Charles will become king”
Events planned to take place during the summer to mark the Diamond Jubilee include the Queen leading a flotilla of a thousand boats along the Thames and a chain of beacons lit across the country.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh also intend to travel as widely as possible across the UK to mark 2012′s Diamond Jubilee.

Other members of the Royal Family will visit the 15 other countries where the Queen is head of state, as well as some other Commonwealth countries.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Malaysia, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will visit Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

And Prince Harry will tour Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

First Published on the BBC.

A BUDGET of £5,000 has been set to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in Boston town centre but councillors are yet to agree on the details for the royal celebrations.

A meeting of the boroughcouncil’s Boston Town Area Committee, held last Tuesday, discussed plans with a number of ideas suggested by councillors.

There had been some confusion over the Jubilee events in the run up to the meeting..

Coun Derek Richmond said: “I would like to make it clear that me and Yvonne (Coun Gunter) said originally that we would like to make any event held a ‘Right Royal Knees-Up’.”

Chairman Coun Mike Gilbert asked members to agree on three separate issues: whether to hold one event or to support other town centre events; a budget for the event, and to put together a sub-committee which would go away and plan the details – including which day the event would actually take place.

Coun Stephen Woodliffe worked out there is ‘about £7,500 reserves that maybe available,’ therefore a budget or £5,000 was agreed.

A sub-committee was then set up including councillors Yvonne Gunter, Derek Richmond, Mary Wright, Paul Mould and Mark Baker.

Ideas put forward during the meeting included helping residents to make their own entertainment such as barbecues, having a stage with live bands and holding the event in the refurbished Market Place rather than Central Park.

Labour councillors Paul Kenny, Paul Gleeson and Paul Goodale were keen to see the council support residents planning their own events and give advice.

Coun Yvonne Gunter also said this years flowers had been ordered in red, white and blue.

The newlyweds arrive in the capital Ottawa at the start of a 12-day visit to North America, which will also see them visit the USA.

Final preparations are being made on the city’s Parliament Hill ahead of the July 1 Canada Day celebrations, at which the couple will be the special guests.

William and Kate will arrive on board a Royal Canadian Air Force jet before undertaking their first engagement at the National War Memorial.

The Duke of Cambridge will lay a wreath in memory of Canadian servicemen and women who have died in battle.

Welcome to Friday, April 29th 2011.

From everyone here at Royal Wedding Gifts.com, may we take this moment to thank our customers, and to wish everyone including the happy couple, the very best for today and we hope wherever in the world you are, you have a fun, happy and safe view of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

A pre-dawn military walk-through of the royal wedding route has taken place, ahead of Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton in London on Friday.

Up to 1,000 members of the armed forces left Wellington Barracks in Westminster to take part shortly before 0500 BST.

Carriages took part in the full-scale procession to Westminster Abbey, although the first to arrive were two royal fleet cars at around 0450 BST.

The Army, navy and RAF all took part in the dry run.

Soldiers lined the route to the Cenotaph, outside the entrance to Downing Street.

From there the RAF lined the road to Horse Guards Parade, members of the Army lined Parliament Street and several companies of the Royal Navy lined the conclusion of the route.

The abbey closed its doors to the public on Tuesday so that preparations could get under way.

On Friday the carriage procession will pass along The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, along Whitehall, along the south side of Parliament Square and into Broad Sanctuary.

An exclusive handmade Royal Wedding key ring with the date hand painted inside the London bus. This limited edition piece is designed in London and comes beautifully presented in Spaceform gift boxes.

To commemorate the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Cartamundi have created a lovely deck of Playing Cards featuring the young couple. The Gold and silver Playing Cards contains photographs of William and Kate throughout their courtship. This deck of Playing Cards is the perfect way to remember the special day on 29th April 2011.

The Birmingham Mint based in England, is the world’s oldest independent Mint founded in 1794.

This crown size Commemorative Medal marks the forthcoming Royal Wedding between HRH Prince William and Miss Catherine
Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29th 2011.

The Medal has been sculptured by Andrew Cummins, one of britain’s finest designers in commemoratives.

The Royal Wedding Commemorative Medal is housed in an attractive printed wallet and encapsulated with a protective blister.

Making your purchase a fantastic keepsake of this historic occasion.

In stock now for dispatch. For multiple purchases please contact us for shipping discounts.

Lifetime has announced that its movie documenting the romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton will air April 18.

The network has confirmed that the television movie examining the couple’s courtship at St Andrews and subsequent relationship will be broadcast at 9pm ET/PT.

It was previously announced that British actress Camilla Luddington had been cast as Middleton, while Prince William will be played by Nico Evers-Swindell.

The premiere of the film will be followed by the first of six episode in the network’s Royal Wedding Of A Lifetime series at 11pm ET/PT, which will revolve around the couple’s romance, wedding plans, their future, and comparisons between Princess Diana and Middleton. After its launch, the series will air 8pm to 11pm ET/PT on Thursday, April 21, and Friday, April 22.

Prince William and Middleton will marry at Westminster Abbey on April 29.

Hallmark Channel has unveiled plans to air a television movie about Prince William and his fiancée Kate Middleton.

The channel announced on Tuesday that production will soon begin on William & Kate: A Royal Love Story, which will be broadcast on August 13.

The biopic will detail the couple’s courtship at St Andrews, William’s military training at Sandhurst, and the pair’s brief split and reconciliation. It will also explore their engagement, wedding planning and advice received from The Queen.

“While biographical, the film is a love story with an inside look at the nuances of a modern monarchy,” said Barbara Fisher, senior vice president of original programming at Hallmark.

The project will be executive produced by Linda Yellen, who previously worked on the movie The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana. The cast has yet to be announced.

Prince William and Middleton, who announced their engagement in November, will marry at Westminster Abbey on April 29.

The long-awaited royal wedding invitations have been sent. No names have been released yet, but one very well-known name has definitely not made the invite-list.

A total of 1,900 invitations have been sent out, and they couldn’t spare one for Sarah Ferguson.

Some royal watchers say it was her choice.

Royal watcher Neil Sean says, “It would seem rather insensitive for her to turn up and possibly divert all that media attention from their big day to her. That’s what the press would do, so I think she has done the right thing.”

Royal Wedding Invitation

So, who is coming?

Over 1,000 family and friends, more than 50 royals, and the rest? Foreign royal families, politicians and other dignitaries.

Sean says, “Whatever you may think about a royal wedding, its all pre-decided. Basically it is a networking business venture.”

By lunchtime the 1,900 at Westminster Abbey will drop to 600 who get lunch with the queen. As night falls, so do the guests, only 300 can stay for dinner.

In other wedding news, Kate’s been taking fashion tips from her mother-in-law to be. She’s been taking fashion tips from Camilla’s flamboyant wedding hat designer, Philip Treacy, so more surprises to come.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are to visit Canada following their wedding later this year, it has been confirmed.

The pair will visit Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ottawa this summer in their first official engagement as a married couple.

“Prince William was pleased to accept an invitation on his and Miss Middleton’s behalf from the government of Canada,” a spokesperson for St James’s Palace told BBC.

“Prince William was keen to be able to visit Canada for himself as an adult, and to be able to show his wife a country that is close to his family’s heart.”

Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper added: “Canada looks forward to welcoming the young couple this summer and providing them with all that our country has to offer – including, of course, the special hospitality and warmth reserved for members of the royal family.”

The trip will take place from June 30 until July 8. The couple are scheduled to marry at Westminster Abbey on April 29.

Prince William and Kate Middleton Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry at Westminster Abbey on 29 April

Party plans for Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton are well under way in the bride’s home village.

Celebrations are planned across the parish of Bucklebury in Berkshire where Miss Middleton grew up and where her parents still live.

The village church and local pubs have planned events while the parish council is hoping to hold live music and a hog roast at Bucklebury Farm Park.

William, 28, and Kate, 29, will marry at Westminster Abbey on 29 April.

Reverend Julian Gadsby, priest in charge of the Berkshire parishes of Bucklebury, Bradfield and Stanford Dingley, said they had several celebrations planned at the church.

Ringing out from the picturesque village church will be a special full peal of bells after the service – lasting an impressive three hours.
‘Very excited’

And a special service will be held the following Sunday which will include prayers for the couple’s marriage, Mr Gadsby said.

“This is a very exciting time for this whole community and like so many people in this country we are delighted for Prince William and the Middleton family, Kate Middleton in particular, about their forthcoming wedding,” he said.

“Weddings are a wonderful occasion anyway. People are so happy, it combines communities, it enables people to be joyful – we are just thrilled.

“Marriage is such an important part of our society and we want to see marriages work and succeed and be very long and very happy.”

As well as events at the church, local pubs, including the Bladebone Inn – just a stone’s throw from the Middleton family home – are all holding special celebrations to mark the occasion.

Wynne Frankum, chairwoman of Bucklebury Parish Council, also said an event was being planned at the Bucklebury Farm Park for people from the parish.

She said it will hopefully include a hog roast, live music and entertainment.

“The pubs are doing their own things, but there is an event at the farm park that the parish is doing for the parish,” she said.

“There are a lot of people who maybe wouldn’t want to go to the pub, so we’re having this big parish event in the farm park in the afternoon.

“It’s nice to mark the event with something for everyone. Everyone is very excited.”

In possibly the least unexpected announcement in advance of April’s royal wedding, Clarence House has announced that Prince Harry is to be the best man at his older brother Prince William’s marriage service and Kate Middleton has asked her younger sister Philippa – known to her family as Pippa – to be her maid of honour.

The couple have also asked young relatives, assorted godchildren and friends’ offspring to be bridesmaids and page boys for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on 29 April.

They are: Lady Louise Windsor, the seven-year-old daughter of Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex; the Hon Margarita Armstrong-Jones, eight, daughter of Viscount and Viscountess Linley; Grace van Cutsem, three-year-old daughter of Hugh and Rose van Cutsem, friends of the couple; Eliza Lopes, also three, the Duchess of Cornwall’s granddaughter; Billy Lowther-Pinkerton, the 10-year-old son of Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the former SAS officer who is William and Harry’s private secretary; and eight-year-old Tom Pettifer, son of William’s former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke. Grace van Cutsem and Tom Pettifer are godchildren of Prince William.

Bridegrooms in royal weddings traditionally chose a “supporter” instead of a best man. The Prince of Wales chose his brother Prince Andrew to be his supporter when he married Diana at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981. Prince William has opted to call his brother his “best man”, rather than a supporter.

Prince Harry had welcomed the couple’s engagement. In a statement following the announcement, Harry said: “I am delighted that my brother has popped the question! It means I get a sister, which I have always wanted.” Harry, who is training to fly Apache attack helicopters, will have the role of planning William’s stag do.

Kate Middleton has left her position at her parents’ party supply company in anticipation of her upcoming marriage to Prince William.

The Daily Mail reports that the 29-year-old left her position as project manager at Party Pieces in order to concentrate full time on preparing for her royal duties.

“[Kate quit in order to] concentrate full-time on preparing to become a member of the royal family,” said a spokesperson.

“She has handed over her work to colleagues and is now preparing for her future life.”