• Brits celebrate Queen's Diamond Jubilee with street parties

    Pete Jeary / NBC News

    Michael Kelion hands out burgers at the Granard Ave. street party as the feasting is in full swing. Around 200 people sat down to share in a Jubilee lunch.

    Pete Jeary / NBC News

    Georgina Spry

    Georgina Spry, 35, had been up since early Saturday morning, decorating her house on Worfield Street. Cardboard cutouts of the Royal family had been put in the bedroom windows. "The Queen's wearing my wedding dress. It looks good on her," she said. "I love this - especially getting so much done before the baby wakes up."

    The Worfield Street jubilee party was sponsored by an English sparkling wine company - with catering provided by a local chef. "As I don't have to worry about cooking", she told me, "I can concentrate on getting the house fit for a queen."

    Queen off to the races as celebration begins.

    Andrew Cowie / AFP - Getty Images

    Residents of Battersea in south London decorate their homes with bunting, flags and cardboard cutouts of British royals as they hold a street party on June 2.

    Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters

    People pose with a cutout of Britain's Queen Elizabeth during a street party to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee at Primrose Hill in London June 2.

    Pete Jeary / NBC News

    Her Majesty as she's rarely seen, in jelly.

    Andrew Cowie / AFP - Getty Images

    Two women pet dogs wearing crowns as residents of a street in Battersea hold a Jubilee street party in London, June 2.

     

  • Flags, carriages and silly hats: Finishing touches for Queen's Diamond Jubilee

    Sean Dempsey/ Pool via Getty Images

    Carriage restorer David Evans cleans the 1902 State Landau carriage at the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace, as the horses and carriages are prepared for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee , on May 28 , in London, England.

    Carl Court / AFP - Getty Images

    Union Flags fly along The Mall near Buckingham Palace in London, on May 29, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

    Carl Court / AFP - Getty Images

    A woman poses for a photograph in front of a floral crown that has been installed in St James's Park in central London on May 29, to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. The crown took five weeks to construct, weighs five tonnes and has the blooms of 13,500 plants.

    Carl Court / AFP - Getty Images

    Guardsmen perform the Changing of the Guard in Horseguards in central London on May 29, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee will take place June 2-5, and celebrations will include a festival of boats on the river Thames and the lighting of more than 2,000 beacons around the country during a four-day public holiday.

    Slideshow: Fit for a queen: 60 years of style

    Getty Images

    From unique prints to fabulous hats, the British monarch's fashion choices often show a sense of fun. Take a look through Queen Elizabeth II's signature looks over the years.

    Launch slideshow

     From Reuters:  Almost half of Britons believe Britain has changed for the worse during Queen Elizabeth's 60-year reign but most think that celebrations to mark her sixth decade on the throne will be good for business and Britain's character, according to a new poll.

     Huge crowds are expected to celebrate 86-year-old Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee next week, which is expected to be marked by a concert at Buckingham Palace, a procession through London and a 1,000-strong flotilla along the River Thames.

     An ITV News/ComRes poll found that 47 percent of those surveyed thought that Britain was not as good a place as before her reign, and just over half said they would not go to a jubilee street party or other celebration.

  • Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    From left: Senior Drum Major Betts of the Scots Guards, Bugler Lee Kidd, Guardsman Adam Deer of the Coldstream Guards, Lance Corporal Michael Strong of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and Warrant Officer second Class Terry Gardener, Senior Drum Major of the Royal Air Force, pose in their full ceremonial attire at Wellington Barracks on March 21, 2012 in London, England. The group make up part of the ceremonial military personnel who will play a key role during Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June.

    All dressed up for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

    By David R Arnott, NBC News

    What are you going to wear for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee? Here in Britain, I can assure you, the people talk of little else.

    Here are a few fancy dress ideas courtesy of Her Majesty's armed forces.