Dazzling flotilla of 150 boats to sail through London in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Thames Flotilla Thames Flotilla

A new RNLI lifeboat named Duke of Edinburgh will join more than 150 boats on the River Thames in London this weekend to commemorate the life and 70-year reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The performance is understood to be the first illuminated flotilla on the Thames for over 300 years.

Her Majesty was the RNLI’s longest-serving patron, and the illuminated Reflections flotilla will take place on Saturday night (24 September), travelling the four miles between Chelsea Bridge and Tower Bridge.

Organised by the Thames River community, the event will also raise up to £20,000 for the RNLI. Funds will be put towards the construction of a new lifeboat station at Waterloo Bridge.

HM Queen Elizabeth II with RNLI volunteers
HM Queen Elizabeth II was the RNLI’s longest-serving patron

The RNLI’s brand new Shannon class lifeboat is named Duke of Edinburgh in memory of Her Majesty’s late husband, His Royal Highness Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April 2021. The new lifeboat will be among the leading boats as they travel along the Thames through central London.

Onboard Duke of Edinburgh will be volunteer crew from Wells-next-the-Sea, in Norfolk, where the lifeboat will be stationed.

RNLI Chief Executive, Mark Dowie says: “Originally planned to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, this event provides a fitting occasion for the Thames’ river communities, of which the RNLI has been a proud member for 20 years, to express their sadness at the recent death of Her Majesty.

“The crew from Wells-next-the-Sea, where RNLB Duke of Edinburgh will be on service later this year, are extremely honoured to be part of this commemoration to our longest-serving patron and a much-loved member of the RNLI family, I would like to thank the organisers, Thames Festival Trust, for nominating the RNLI as the official charity and raising much-needed funds for our new Tower Lifeboat Station at Waterloo Bridge.”

HM Queen and family on board ‘Gloriana’ in 2013
HM Queen and family on board Gloriana in 2013

The flotilla, including the rowbarge Gloriana, which was built for the Diamond Jubilee and named by Her Majesty, will depart Chelsea Bridge at 7pm (Saturday 24 September) and travel to Tower Bridge for 8.18pm.

All 150 boats will be lit up with white lights, creating a ribbon of light down the river. Illuminated River, the world’s longest public artwork, will also be lit with a special display threading tones of purple and silver across its nine bridges, from Lambeth to London Bridge.

Jubilee celebrations took place in London
Jubilee celebrations took place in London in June

Wells Coxswain Nicky King, says: “It’s an honour for our crew and me to be part of this special flotilla onboard our brand-new boat, RNLB Duke of Edinburgh, as we pay tribute to our long-standing patron.

“To see all the boats and landmarks along the way down the Thames all lit up will be quite a spectacle, and a sight we wouldn’t normally see – it’ll be a very poignant moment.”

The lifeboat also bears the names of nearly 15,000 loved ones submitted through the RNLI’s Launch A Memory campaign.

As the official charity partner of Saturday’s event, funds raised will help fund a new floating boathouse for Tower, the RNLI’s busiest lifeboat station located in the heart of London, at Waterloo Bridge, which is due on service next spring. The RNLI has been raising funds to replace the current station as it is no longer fit for purpose since it lacks the facilities the crew need to give the best possible care to those they rescue.

RNLI lifeboat Duke of Edinburgh
RNLI lifeboat Duke of Edinburgh

Lifeboats stationed at Tower, Chiswick, Teddington and Gravesend have been saving lives on the Thames for 20 years.

Tower is the busiest RNLI lifeboat station and, since opening, has launched more than 9,000 times, rescuing more than 2,000 people and saving more than 350 lives.

The full times for the flotilla are as follows:

  • Chelsea Bridge: 7pm
  • Vauxhall Bridge: 7.10pm
  • Westminster Bridge: 7.30pm
  • Blackfriars Bridge: 7.50pm
  • London Bridge: 8.05pm
  • Tower Bridge: 8.18pm

2 responses to “Dazzling flotilla of 150 boats to sail through London in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II”

  1. Keith Bedford says:

    Dear Sirs, Will the Thames Flotilla be filmed and able to be viewed by us, the general public at large? If so, when and when,please? Thank you, take care, regards, Keith Bedford.

  2. Peter Scrutton says:

    It does not seem to have been covered by the main broadcasters but there is a good video on youtube that covers most of it.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxeNsqNleT0