"the spirit of chartwell." one of the greatest vessels i've seen on the thames. >> in the old days -- >> off with your head. >> married to king henry viii. these days a little less threatening. remarkable pictures at tower bridge. there are tens of thousands of people just here so imagining this for eight miles i would say there are well over a million people lining these streets. extraordinary spectacle. >> those are the boats representing the commonwealth because all the queen 's people and all the countries she rules, all represented on the river today. >> there she is, majesty the queen, second longest serving monarch and currently second longest serving monarch, three years to catch up with the king of thailand. >> judging by those pictures -- >> it's approaching up and hear the royal jubilee bells as the flotilla comes forward with the craft. >> let's just listen in. >> i've lived on the river thames on and off for the river thames and never seen a spectacle like this. a thousand boats down the thames cel

this is the spirit of chartwell.omething that they, the royal family, basically commissioned for this precise event, and they really worked it inside out. it's like this 17th century meets art deco kind of boat, and you see these -- i kept looking at the flowers. there are something like 6,000 flowers here as part of this boat, and when you look at the front of it, is it turning? oh, my goodness zoosh it's turning. it's pulling a 360 that we had only heard about. richard is nodding. >> the royal barge is now performing a rapid fire 360 turn. >> i have never seen a boat do this. >> i have never seen any boat that size do this. this is absolutely remarkable. >> so if you get a moment, when you see the front -- here had he is. we were talking to dickey, who had been a spokesman for the queen for two decades. a decade and a half. i said what in the world must she be thinking right now with all these shouts and bell chimes and 41 canon salute, and he said she's probably overwhelmed. >> look how fast this boat is turning.

if we take a look, we have seen "gloriana," "the spirit of chartwell."nn, we're live on the thames and we'll have more after this break. good morning to you, america. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. ♪ >>> welcome back to london and the pageant on the thames. the boats are mustering about seven miles that direction, and over the next three or four hours they will be making their way up. you can see the power station. those are the old chimneys. that's pretty much where the festivities will begin in just -- about a half hour from now when the queen goes on the river and an hour from now the pageant starts. robert 1948 is watching us in orlando and says he's enjoying the fun in london. in barbados michelle celeste, send the weather over here. we could do with a bit of that. joe lewis

cartwell, the official royal barge, the highest members of the royal family are in the spirit of chartwellnd, we saw a while ago the gloriana, a wooden rowed ship built as a celebration of the queen's diamond jubilee and has been in the works the last two years and it is an amazing rowed ship that went by us as well, there is an incredible combination of a thousand ships that lined up and are now going behind us, as part of the celebration and they come from all over the world. we watched a hawaiian war can new go by and the queen is surveying this and her barge will join this procession as it comes by us in the river here, it is extraordinary, despite the clouds, it's not raining, good news and everybody is smiling, really a happy, joyous, joyous occasion and celebration of the life an woman of queen elizabeth today. >> jamie: and not just today, it is a big deal for at least a week, tours of many members of the royal family around the world to celebrate this. how are the locals reacting? i understand there are parties galore? >> reporter: there are street parties all over the city and ye

this is the spirit of chartwell.hat i think i've ever seen on the river thames. >> in the old days, of course -- >> off with your head. >> if you were married to king henry xv, you would be taken down there and beheaded. right now we're at tower bridge. there are tens of thousands of people here. imaging this for eight miles, i would say there are well over a million people lining these streets. an extraordinary spectacle. >> those are the boats of the representing the commonwealth because all the queen's realms, all the queen's territories, all the countries she rules -- >> one-third of the population. >> they're all represented today. >> there she is. her magesty, the queen, 60 great years. she's the second longest serving monarch in the history of great britain. she's currently the second longest serving monarch anywhere in the world still alive and still on the throne. she's about three years to catch up with the

the royal barge, the spirit of chartwell, began a seven-mile pageant. 1,000 boats of all shapes and sizes at its side. manpowered and engine powered, a south pacific war canoe, a venetian gondola, and in the lead, a floating belfry. as the procession wound its way past iconic london, the royal family, young and old, were at times visibly impressed by the historic show. ♪ when an orchestra starts up, first charles taps his sword. prince philip joins in. camilla takes their lead. and the family danced. this was a day to salute the queen, and a 1,000-year-old monarchy. the 41-gun salute from the tower of london. in the 1920s, a member of parliament called the river thames liquid history. well, today history is being made again. it was going to take a lot more than just lousy weather to keep these crowds from coming to see it for themselves. more than 1 million leaned over balconies, lined the river bank and packed onto bridges. pride in country, and queen. >> i'm so proud of her. and we are lucky to have her. >> reporter: the picnics were lavish, and traditional. ever had a scotch egg? >> sa

from the top deck of the "spirit of chartwell" a throne was built, but the 86-year-old monarch neverphilip looked healthy even dancing. despite the driving rain. the queen was visibly thrilled to see the british public turn out in her honor. more than a million on balconies, bridges and river banks. after 60 years the monarchy is more popular than ever, still rooted in tradition, but not afraid, every once in a while to kick up its heels. at one point, his speech, prince charles turned to the crowd and said, "if you shout loud enough, my father will hear you." the crowd erupted in cheers and repeatedly shouted prince phillip's name, and who know knows maybe he did actually hear them. >> stephanie, you got to witness something great there. thank you very much. a reminder for us, this continues tomorrow morning on "today" matt and meredith live in the morning from buckingham palace. that's our broadcast on a monday night. thank you for being here with us. i am brian williams. of course, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -

. >> reporter: the queen was on board the spirit of chartwell. a river cruiser magnificently converted for the occasion. this is the ultimate symbol of the sentiments this jubilee has stirred in britain. in one opinion poll today, 55% said they thought the monarchy would last forever. if that sounds excessive, it's not hard to understand in an atmosphere like this. they opened tower bridge to allow the monarch to pass. it was, by now, terrible weather. but the rain could not spoil the queen's extraordinary parade. ♪ the london philharmonic orchestra played the horn pipe, and there was the faintest suggestion of bobbing up and down from the diamond jubilee queen. tim ewart, itv news on the river thames. >>> well now for a look at the national weather, look who decided to join us once again. it was a difficult week being this far away from all of this. >> yeah. i didn't exactly wake up by now, but i dvr'd you every day. >> you're like, i can't even believe i'm awake by now, yes. a week does do a number on you. >> it was times ten. i'm just tiesing.

this is for prince charles, he is arriving on the spirit of chartwell and the arriving has begun that charles. to your question, i have to say that what i'm hearing on the ground in london is african the most hard core people who would prefer not to have a monarchy really appreciate queen elizabeth and the contribution she has made for the national feeling in great britain and her strength and stability over the course of these six years and here's prince charles as he comes in. even the naysayers and cynics who are small in number, i might point out to you, 8 out of 10 people in the most recent poll want to preserve the monarchy and feel strongly about it and the past couple of years have been a huge pr makeover for the royal family when you think of where they were after the death of princess diana and where they are now after the mafrriage of kate and william and, with this and the olympics in july, this is a great moment for great britain and, they've weathered the economic storm far better than their breath then in europe and it is an optimistic, up beat time here, guys. >> alisy

a fleet of sailboats, row boats and paddle steamers surrounded the royal spirit of chartwell barge adorned in flowers, regularral red, gold and purple velvet. the # 6-year-old queen dressed in a silver and white dress and matching coat. joined by her grandson, prince william and his wife the duchess of cambridge as well as prince harry and her husband prince philip. >> i think above all what we're celebrating is the 60 years she's given of service to our county and this extraordinary institution that stands above politics, that brings the country together. it is something we are all celebrating today that i think is such a valuable thing in our country and so admired across the world. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of rain-soaked onlookers watched from the banks of the river thames. this is the largest public event in four days of celebrations. the pageant ended with a burst of fireworks amid news from guiness world records that it had broken the record for largest parade of boats. >> it is something to celebrate. >> reporter: not everyone in britain is celebrating. hundreds of anticip

this is the spirit of chartwell.iver pageant for the queen's diamond jubilee and she is going to be home for the day to the royal family. fit for a queen, unsinkable, they say, and fitted out to give the feel of a luxurious train on water. originally glass panes, restored pullman arm chairs. and pieces reclaimed from classic cruise liners. hand made thrones, seven tons of flowers. it will hold some 300 guests. the boat's owner was invited but he won't be onboard on the big day. >> it took me a long time to work out how to write the e-mail to say, courteously, i think i prefer to watch it on the television. >> reporter: turns out he grew up in an orphanage near windsor castle. you had visits from the -- secret visits from the royal family when you were so young. >> yes. >> reporter: is this almost like giving back? >> they came to see us very often and i think this is time for us to pay back. you know? i don't have a cloak but i have a boat so i can lay that down. >> reporter: to find out more about the queen's person

she is traveling on a royal barge called, let's see, the spirit of chartwell.going to meet up with about 1,000 boats assembled from around the world that are going to form a flotilla as they go down the river. a big part of the celebration of the diamond jubilee. and back here at home, here we go again. sacramento's budget cuts are forcing cities to put parcel tax on tuesday's ballot to fund local schools. hayward has measure g, west contra costa county measure k and union center is hoping to pass measure 8. school districts warn without the taxes there will be dire consequences. here's education reporter lyanne melendez. >> 18, 12, 25. >> these first-graders at alvarado elementary are learning about money, while the school district tries to operate with fewer state dollars. every year the district has been forced to make drastic cuts. for example, in just four years the district's budget has gone down from $114 million to $88 million. >> its good to live within your means, but that's a huge, huge cut to our means when you are trying to educate 13,000 children.

the prince of wales met with craftsmen who were putting the finishing touches on the spirit of chartwell. the ship has been transformed into the queen's royal barge. the floating parade will be the highlight of the diamond jubilee celebrations. the festivities start tomorrow when the queen and the royal family attend the epsom derby horse race. >> a royal barge? >> the royal barge. >> come up with a better name. something fancier. >>> almost 5:27 now. coming up this morning, a headache for drivers as you head into work. the intersection you're going to want to avoid and when things will be back to normal. >>> putting the brakes on a popular travel option for thousands up and down the east coast. >>> and we're tracking severe weather. >>> with our newly updated nbc washington app, you'll get news, weather, and traffic coverage at home, at the office, and on the go. now available on your ipad, iphone, and android devices. be first to know with our breaking news alerts. get up-to-the-minute weather updates -- >> as we look at the forecast for the rest of the afternoon -- >> check the scene

. >> reporter: the queen was on board the spirit of chartwell, a river cruiser magnificently convertedor the occasion. this is the ultimate symbol of the sentiments this jubilee has stirred in britain. in one opinion poll today, 55% said they thought the monarchy would last forever. if that sounds excessive, it's not hard to understand in an atmosphere like this. they opened tower bridge to allow the monarch to pass. it was by now terrible weather. but the rain could not spoil the queen's extraordinary parade. ♪ the london philharmonic orchestra played the horn pipe. and there was the faintest suggestion of bobbing up and down from the diamond jubilee queen. >> brown: today, there was a different kind of cloud over the festivities, as queen elizabeth's husband, prince phillip, fell ill. andy davies of "independent television news" has the story. >> reporter: as a former admiral of the fleet and a midshipman who saw active service during the second world with a the duke of edinboro was clearly in his element yesterday aboard the royal barge. but for a man who is nearly 91 years old, it

followed by 265 man-powered vessels and then "the spirit of chartwell," the jewel in this pageant.the barge with the queen, prince philip kate, william and harry onboard. a fitting one for this unsinkable queen. the river pageant here the street parties across the united kingdom will be partying like it's 19 52 which is by the way when elizabeth became queen. bianna, don't you wish you here? >> i do. >> oh, i do. mama. those cameras don't miss a beat. even getting in as far as her fingernails. that's incredible. >> reporter: what can i say? it's patriotism. it's a nod to granny. >> it is. it is. great to see you. enjoy the day, lama. >> thank you. >>> and "gma" will be live at the jubilee tomorrow and tuesday. robin roberts and lara spencer will have exclusive behind-the-scenes access to buckingham palace and a concert for the queen. on tuesday night, at 9:00 8:00 central, katie couric brings us that concert for the queen right here on abc. >>> time now for the weather and ginger zee. ginger, i was impressed that they picked up on the fingernail polish. >> i would have to put dutch

just below us, the spirit of chartwell. the first royal sighting. >> not the queen.>> this is pretty good. >> william and kate? >> william and kate. the anticipation was killing us. waiting for the great lady herself, queen elizabeth ii. here she comes, robin. she's all yours. what a moment. come on over, let's go see. have we mentioned it's june. note to self, bring gloves next time. i'm crying. it's -- >> it's okay. >> i'm just emotional. >> it's all right. pull yourself together, lara. pull yourself together. this is the first flotilla of this size in 300 years? >> we did read the research parkts. >> how do you like us now? ♪ >> from the flotilla to the park, the celebration in the city continued. ♪ and in true "gma" style, we made it deejay sunday, jamming with deejay norman jay on a double derk bus, no less. >> welcome to our friends from "good morning america," robin and lara. >> whoo! >> we busted a few moves. sampled our mixing skills. in london, a flea market is called a koor booth sale. can i get you a fascinator? see? flea marketing is fun. >> no. >> not m

the spirit of chartwell is the royal barge, you saw the duchess of cambridge, prince william, prince charles, of course, the queen and prince phillip all aboard, many of their friends, they did have a little shelter over their head. but they were battered by wind and certainly got very wet and were on that boat for hours and hours along with 1,000 other boats. this is something that hasn't happened here in hundreds of years. it was inspired by a painting and it was quite spectacular. there were about a million people on the streets in london but about 6 million around the country celebrating holding street parties in miserable rain which just goes to show that people are very enthusiastic about this event. guys, back to you. >> no kidding. so amy, did you buy that hat or is it a rental? >> hey now, it's mine. you know what? i am hoping that this will be more jubilees -- there will be more jubilees to attend and maybe i'll even get invited inside some day. >> have hat, will travel. >> with this weather, i'd get a chin strap. so -- >> all right. amy kellogg live near the palace with th