Royal barge by Tower Bridge

An artist's impression of the Royal Barge by Tower Bridge



A magnificent design for a state-of-the-art vessel, The Spirit of Chartwell, has been revealed as the Royal Barge for next year's Thames Diamond Jubliee.

On Sunday June 3, 2012, The Spirit of Chartwell will have top billing as the Royal Barge, carrying The Queen in the Thames Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in celebration of her 60-year reign. The Pageant, one of next year’s most exciting events, is unprecedented as the largest flotilla to be assembled on the river in modern times.

Accommodating The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family, the first sight of the Royal Barge on the Thames will be one of the most highly anticipated moments of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Operated by the Magna Carta Steamship company, The Spirit of Chartwell, a luxury Thames river vessel with opulent interiors, will be the most important boat on the Thames in next year’s flotilla. She was chosen for a host of reasons, including size, comfort, safety and manoeuvrability, and consultation took place with a wide number of partners, including the Port of London Authority. Her owner, Philip Morrell, has generously donated the use of the vessel to The Queen for the Pageant. After the event, The Spirit of Chartwell will resume her role as a cruising vessel on the Thames.

Well decorated
The cruiser will be decorated with an original design by Joseph Bennett and Rachel de Thame. Multi-award-winning production designer Bennett’s diverse and distinguished career has included designing films, including Charlotte Gray and Jude, and television, including HBO series Rome, for which he won two Emmy awards. He has also designed commercials, working with photographers such as Steven Klein and Mario Testino and designing celebrated catwalk presentations for the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen. The design will echo the richly-decorated royal barges of the 17th and 18th centuries, reflecting the great historical nature of this event.

Spirit of Chartwell

An artist's impression of Spirit of Chartwell at Hampton Court



The Royal Barge will be adorned with flowers from The Queen’s own gardens by renowned horticulturist, garden designer and TV presenter Rachel de Thame. A member of the Gardeners’ World presenting team since 1999, de Thame also presents Countrywise on ITV and the BBC coverage of the major RHS gardening shows, including The Chelsea Flower Show.

Red, gold and purple - the royal colours - will feature most prominently in the floral arrangements, which will reference the Commonwealth, the Coronation and The Queen’s Gold State Coach.  Adrian Evans, Pageant Master, said: “The Royal Barge must be a jewel – the most magnificent vessel in the flotilla. Joseph and Rachel have come up with a truly inspiring design, one that references the Coronation, the Commonwealth, the Gold State Coach and all the traditions of royal barges on the Thames, while creating something that is distinct and modern.”

The Spirit of Chartwell’s owner, Philip Morrell, said: “As The Spirit of Chartwell evolved, I knew we had built something special - ideal, I thought, for the carriage of royalty, but little did I even vaguely suspect that in the course of one short year that we should be graced with such an honour."

Other royal vessels to play key roles
A number of vessels with royal connections will play prominent roles in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, including the tender of HMS Britannia - known as Britannia’s Royal Barge - which was traditionally used to transport passengers to and from the Royal Yacht. In the Pageant, the tender will play her original role, carrying The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to The Royal Barge, along with two motorboat escorts.

Popular flotilla is over-subscribed
Applications to take part on the river closed on October 31. The possibility of joining in the 1,000-boat flotilla proved a huge attraction and the interest was overwhelming. For each single place, three boats applied. The selection procedure, based on specific criteria including, crucially, safety considerations, is currently taking place. Successful applicants will be informed by December 31 that they have a place. On the same date, unsuccessful applicants will also be notified, but there will still be an opportunity for those people to take part from the river bank. As a thank you from the organisers of the Pageant, each principal applicant will be invited to bring a guest to a special event in a prime position on the day of the Pageant. For more details on the Thames Diamond Jubliee Pageant see the event website.