Royals don red, white and blue for day of pomp

The Royals were resplendent in Union Flag hues as they arrived at the Thames Diamond Jubilee pageant yesterday.

All eyes were on the Duchess of Cambridge in a striking pillar-box red dress by Alexander McQueen, whose creative director Sarah Burton designed her wedding gown.

Her appearance with her husband was met with loud cheers as those gathered at Cadogan Pier, Chelsea, strained to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.

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The Duke of Cambridge, an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot, and Prince Harry, an Army captain who flies Apache helicopters, both incorporated blue into their military uniforms.

Prince William wore a blue garter sash over his, while his brother wore a light blue Army Air Corps beret.

The Prince of Wales, also wearing a blue sash, and the Duchess of Cornwall, in a cream ensemble, were also greeted by cheering crowds when they arrived at Chelsea Pier ahead of the Queen.

There was a toot from a nearby ship and more cheers went up as the Royal couple walked along the river bank to the waiting Chelsea pensioners, who were there as a guard of honour.

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But the biggest cheers were saved for the Queen as she arrived with the Duke of Edinburgh at the event, which celebrated her 60 years on the throne.

Her Majesty was immaculately-presented in a white and silver dress and matching coat and hat.

The outfit was a year in the planning, designed by Angela Kelly and made by her small in-house Buckingham Palace team.

Its colour scheme was chosen to stand out against the red, gold and purple hues of the royal barge.

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The white boucle was embroidered with regal gold, silver and ivory spots and embellished with Swarovski crystals to reflect the River Thames. A trumpet fanfare sounded as she boarded the Royal Barge with Prince Philip from a small launch boat and the London Midland and Scottish Railway Coronation Class steam locomotive gave a shrill salute from the nearby Battersea rail bridge as the barge set sail.

A huge cheer went up whenever the Spirit of Chartwell came into view of the thousands of spectators who lined the banks of the river.

Some people in the crowd had camped out since 2am to secure a prime spot to see the 1,000 strong flotilla and to get the best view of the Royal vessel.

Bridges and embankments were filled with spectators while others found vantage spots in offices blocks, all desperate to catch a glimpse of the myriad of boats, ships and tugs passing by.

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The Queen received an outpouring of good wishes from those who had braved the cold and wet to see the once in a lifetime spectacle.

She and the Duke of Edinburgh were seated on ornate red thrones under a gold-coloured canopy on board the sumptuously-decorated boat.

The 64 metre-long cruiser was adorned with nearly 10,000 flowers arranged by Gardeners’ World horticulturist Rachel de Thame.

With its lavish replica carvings, ornate gilded prow sculpture and majestic red, gold and purple colour scheme, its design echoed the richly-decorated Royal barges of the 17th and 18th centuries.

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A red velvet banner decorated with the Royal coat of arms made from more than half a million gold-coloured buttons hung from the stern.

The Queen’s barge sailed under Tower Bridge to cheers and applause as the river pageant reached its end.

The Royal party then disembarked and took their places on board HMS President to watch the rest of the seven-mile long flotilla pass under the bridge.

Spectator Sarah O’Connor, 41, brought her twin brother Richard, and eight-year-old nephew Lucas to the bridge to watch the pageant.

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“Richard and I remember the Silver Jubilee,” she said. “We were six, we had a street party in East London and all the bunting. It’s a great memory.

“We had that, and now Lucas will grow up remembering this.

“Its once in a lifetime, this will never happen again.”