Britain's Queen Elizabeth joined an armada of 1,000 boats down London's River Thames to the pealing of bells on Sunday in a spectacular highlight of four days of nationwide celebrations to mark her 60th year on the throne.

Hundreds of thousands of cheering people waving "Union Jack" flags and dressed in red, white and blue braved the wind and rain to pack the 7-mile (11 km) route for one of the largest flotillas ever seen on the river.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth waves from the Spirit of Chartwell during the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant on the River Thames, in London June 3, 2012.? [Agencies]?

The queen, wearing a silver and white dress with a matching coat, smiled broadly and waved to large crowds before boarding the gilded royal barge, "The Spirit of Chartwell", alongside her 90-year-old husband Prince Philip.