Spectacular Tudor River Pageant , London – 20-21 June 2009
In celebration of the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s coronation, London is planning a fabulous river pageant from Tower Bridge to Hampton Court Palace. Central to the whole proceedings is, of course, King Henry himself with his Queen who will leave the Tower of London at 10am on Saturday 21st June to board the Royal Shallop ‘Jubilant’ at Tower Pier.
Accompanied by lots of colourful traditional skiffs, the whole flotilla will pass under Tower Bridge, past Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the South Bank right the way down to the Embankment before sweeping south under Westminster Bridge.
Once past the Houses of Parliament, the King’s Shallop will sail past the Victoria Tower Gardens on its way to Battersea Park, Chelsea and Putney before snaking its way through Barnes and past Kew Gardens. More boats will join the fun at Richmond for the final leg of the journey to Hampton Court Palace where the King will be greeted with a royal feast in the Palace Gardens, followed by music, dancing and entertainment from the King’s fools!
Festivities continue at Hampton Court Palace on Sunday 21st June where traditional Court fun and frolics are planned for the entertainment of the King. Being highly competitive himself, Henry will no doubt enjoy the boat races and tug-of-war.
There are plenty of places along the riverbank to watch the Royal Procession, so why not make a weekend of it and book your hotel now. Just click on the appropriate link to find hotels and other accommodation along the Coronation route or browse hotels in London.
