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Despite rainy weather, the banks of London’s River Thames were packed with revelers this weekend hoping to catch a glimpse of a flotilla of more than 1,000 boats assembled in honor Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. Meredith Vieira reports and NBC’s Ben Fogle joins her to describe the festive mood and his view aboard one of the boats.

Updated at 8:02 a.m. ET: LONDON – After leading a flotilla through the rain on the River Thames on Sunday, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will brave miserable weather again on Monday for a garden picnic and rock concert at Buckingham Palace.

Ten thousand ticket-holders will watch live performances by artists including Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Jessie J as part of four days of nationwide celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee marking her 60th year on the throne.

Monday’s concert will also feature Ska band Madness singing 1980s hit “Our House” from the roof of the 775-room palace.

Will the queen enjoy it? Her musical tastes are a mystery, and the Press Association news agency reported that she brought a pair of earplugs with her to a similar concert a decade ago. According to The Guardian newspaper, the only song the queen has ever been known to request is “Some Enchanted Evening” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific.”

Celebrating her 60 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II and her family floated down the river on the Royal Barge. NBC’s Stephanie Gosk reports.

Organizers of the outdoor picnic will be hoping for better weather after Sunday’s spectacular river display took place under gray skies and torrential rain – hallmarks of a British summer holiday weekend.

Despite the conditions, organizers said more than one million people gathered on the banks of the Thames to watch the 86-year-old monarch glide past in a barge decorated with flowers, with her closest family at her side, including grandson Prince William and his wife, Kate.

In the flotilla were kayaks, rowboats, barges and the Motor Torpedo Boat 102 on which the Allied Forces commander, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspected warships before the 1944 D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France. 

Peter Jeary, NBC News

Despite heavy rain, spectators lined up from dawn on Sunday to get the best view of the River Thames flotilla.

A gloomy, gray – and great – day for the UK

All were decorated with flags and banners, making a colorful spectacle harking back to Tudor times when river pageants regularly took place for royal festivities.

Six participants in the pageant were treated in hospitals for exposure to the cold and wet, and medics attended to about 40 spectators along the river.

Her Royal Highness celebrates 60 years on the throne.

Launch slideshow

After the concert, a network of 4,000 beacons will be lit across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, leading into Tuesday, the final day of the extended holiday weekend.

The small Pacific island nation of Tonga claimed the honor of lighting the first beacons. Another will be lit in Kenya at the Treetops Hotel, where Elizabeth was informed of her father’s death in 1952, making her the queen.

The jubilee celebrations conclude on Tuesday with a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral, a carriage procession along the Mall avenue, a fly past and farewell wave from the royal family to crowds gathered in front of Buckingham Palace – events that will be covered live on a special edition of NBC’s TODAY.

Secret donors, foreign firms bankroll UK’s Diamond Jubilee celebration

The jubilee event have underlined broad support for the queen in Britain, where she is riding high in opinion polls and is seen as a symbol of service, stability and national unity.

While more than a century separates festivities marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne from those honoring her predecessor Queen Victoria, surprising similarities connect the commemorations. NBC News’ Jim Maceda reports.

The displays of pomp and pageantry also gave a lift to many at a time of economic austerity and spending cuts, and boosted confidence ahead of the summer Olympic Games.

BBC, via Twitter

British tabloid newspaper The Sun marked the wet festivities with this headline on Monday.

Support for the royal family is not universal however, with views ranging from indifference – around two million Britons travelled abroad to benefit from the extra days off – to outright opposition.

Queen’s critics face uphill battle during jubilee

“Her achievement is just staying alive, doing little and saying less,” Graham Smith, head of campaign group Republic, told Reuters on Sunday.

Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating 60 years on the throne. Watch archival footage from her childhood and ascension to the throne to the present day.

His group estimates that the royal family, which officially sets taxpayers back between 30 and 40 million pounds a year, in fact costs closer to 200 million pounds when security and travel are included.

There might be four days of celebrations in Great Britain for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, but some Londoners still have to work. NBC’s Duncan Golestani finds a quick way to join in the fun.

Queen Elizabeth is only the second monarch to mark 60 years on the throne, after her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria reached the milestone in 1897. She is also on course to become the longest-serving British sovereign in 2015.

NBC News, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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