Britons brave weather to see 1,000-boat flotilla for Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant

LONDON -- At 8:30 local time on a mild, wet Sunday morning, Britons are busy claiming prime viewing spots along the Thames River in anticipation of the Diamond Jubilee Pageant, the highlight of which is a 1,000-boat flotilla that is not due to set off along the famous London watercourse for another six hours.

All along the 15-kilometre stretch of the Thames in central London that will be the setting for the event, onlookers are busy setting up chairs, tents, flags — and umbrellas, lots and lots of umbrellas — as a steady drizzle pours down.