Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Elton John to play for the Royalty

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee will be marked with a star-studded concert in front of Buckingham Palace later.

Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Sir Elton John are among the artists, and Madness will perform on the roof.

The audience will comprise of people who got tickets in a public ballot and those from charities with royal links.

At the end of the show, the Queen will light one of the last of around 4,500 beacons across the globe - in celebration of her 60-year reign.

In the afternoon, prior to the Jubilee concert, 10,000 ballot winners and VIPs will enjoy a picnic in the gardens of Buckingham Palace created by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and royal chef Mark Flanagan.

Read more: BBC News

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£1million Gloriana to lead the greatest show on the Thames for 350 years

While British soldiers die in Afghanistan for nothing, a  £1million Gloriana to lead the greatest show on the Thames for 350 years to celebrate the golden jubilee of the coronation of the Queen Elizabeth II. 

Leading the 1,000-strong flotilla will be the Gloriana. The 94ft Royal rowbarge – the first to be built for more than a century – is unique among the participating vessels in that it is the only one specially commissioned for the event. 

Originally it was intended that the Queen or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would be on board but Her Majesty will now travel along the Thames on the Spirit of Chartwell. 

I was the first journalist to be granted access to the £1 million Gloriana and allowed to inspect its exquisite interior. An extraordinary amount of thought has gone into the design and the sourcing of materials so that she is imbued with rich historical significance, reports CHARLOTTE EAGAR.

Read more / see photos of the £1million Gloriana and others: Daily Mail

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Queen's Diamond Jubilee pins made in China

Lapel pins created to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and handed out by the federal government are made in China.

The approximately 300,000 pins, specially made to celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne, were contracted out to a small Ottawa company that in turn subcontracted a manufacturer in China to do the work.

The nearly $60,000 contract was signed in November.

Read more: Canada

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Diamond Jubilee River Thames spectacular: Once in a Lifetime Event

The British Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations are claimed to be the greatest show the Thames has ever seen and perhaps even outshine the Olympics.

The Diamond Jubilee river pageant will feature 1,000 boats, 20,000 eager participants and millions of cheering spectators.

Details of the spectacular event on June 3 were released yesterday, prompting London Mayor Boris Johnson to predict a ‘glorious’ spectacle which would ‘perhaps be more exciting than the Olympics themselves’.

Pageant Master Adrian Evans dubs the show as ‘a once-in-a-lifetime event, one that will reclaim the Thames as a royal route.’

Read much more with illustrations / video: Mail Online

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New royal yacht proposal backed by David Cameron

Yesterday, Imposing Headlines shared a post about the proposal of presenting a new royal yacht to the Queen, an 'idea' proposed by the education secretary.

Now the news is that the British PM David Cameron is also supportive of the plans for a new, privately funded royal yacht that will double up as a university of the seas, and provide accommodation for royalty in the ship's stern.

The idea, at one point described by Gove as a gift from the nation to the Queen on her diamond jubilee, also has the backing of the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne, according to letters sent to the prime minister by Willetts.

The £60m yacht has so far found £10m in backing from financial leaders in Canada and an unnamed £5m private donation, as well as an offer by Foyles to contribute £500,000 for books for a library.

Read more: The Guardian

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