Plain sailing as Queen finishes final leg in Diamond Jubilee tour of Britain

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh yesterday brought the curtain down on their Diamond Jubilee tour of Britain.

A week after visiting Yorkshire, the royal party were greeted by thousands of flag-waving residents on the Isle of Wight as they arrived on board the motor yacht Leander through a parade of sail featuring a host of superyachts.

A 21-gun salute was fired from the Royal Yacht Squadron before the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh came ashore to be met by the Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, Major General Martin White, and other dignitaries.

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As they walked along the seafront amid cheers, claps and fluttering Union flags in sweltering heat, they stopped to unveil a plaque marking the visit and the Diamond Jubilee.

The Queen and Prince Philip have travelled the length and breadth of the UK to thank the British public during the landmark year.

The tour started in March in Leicester and took in 83 engagements in 10 regions, during which the couple travelled by a range of means – car, royal train, aircraft and ship.

Harrogate Borough Council has announced that it is to plant commemorative English oak trees across the district later this year to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

In 1953, the now famous row of cherry trees along Harrogate’s Stray was planted to mark the Queen’s coronation.