Queen Elizabeth II led a grand carriage procession through London to mark her diamond jubilee Tuesday but faced the crowning moment of the festivities without her ill husband Prince Philip.
Cheering crowds lined the monarch's route from the Houses of Parliament to Buckingham Palace, waving flags as she passed in a horse-drawn carriage on the last of four days of celebrations marking her 60th year on the throne.
Escorted by military bands and
more than 100 mounted soldiers in traditional uniform, the queen waved and
smiled at the crowds -- but her 90-year-old husband was poignantly absent from
the display of classic British pageantry. 
After the carriage procession the family was to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for a Royal Air Force flypast before the queen broadcasts a message of thanks at 1700 GMT across the Commonwealth.
Philip, the longest-serving royal consort in British history, was taken to hospital with a bladder infection hours before Monday's spectacular jubilee pop concert outside Buckingham Palace.
The outspoken prince will remain in hospital for several days and was "disappointed" to miss the celebrations, the palace said.
In Philip's absence, heir to the throne Prince Charles joined the 86-year-old queen, who was dressed in a mint-green silk coat scattered with crystals, in the red and gold 1902 state landau along with his wife Camilla.
Prince Harry joined Prince William and his wife Catherine, who wore a beige lace dress by Alexander McQueen, as they smiled and waved from their own carriage.
The Mall, the wide avenue leading from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square, was a sea of red, white and blue, crammed with tens of thousands of people hoping to catch a glimpse of the royals as they passed.
Jill Davies, a silver-haired executive researcher from Suffolk in eastern England, waved her Union Jack as the queen went past her at Downing Street, where the prime minister's official residence is located.
"Prince Philip is poorly but he's done his bit, bless him," she told AFP. "It was fantastic. I was outside Downing Street so I saw it all. The queen was waving to the crowds."
Charles had earlier taken his father's place by the queen's side at a special jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral attended by political leaders, foreign ambassadors and royals.
Leading the service beneath the imposing dome of the cathedral, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the world's Anglicans, paid tribute to Philip as well as the monarch.
"We are marking six decades of living proof that public service is possible and that it is a place where happiness can be found," said Williams.
"In all her public engagements, the queen has shown a quality of joy in the happiness of others," he added.
"The same, of course, can manifestly be said of Prince Philip, and our prayers and thoughts are very much with him this morning."
US President Barack Obama also paid tribute to the queen on Tuesday, describing her as "a steadfast ally, loyal friend and tireless leader."
"While many presidents have come and gone, your majesty's reign has endured," he said. "That makes your majesty both a living witness to the power of our alliance and a chief source of its resilience."
The monarch insisted on attending Monday's concert in front of the palace -- which featured stars including Paul McCartney, Elton John and Stevie Wonder and was watched by hundreds of thousands of people -- despite Philip's ill health.
After the final set, Prince Charles drew cheers from the crowds as he paid tribute to his "mummy".
"The only sad thing about this evening is that my father cannot be here with us because unfortunately he's been taken unwell," he said.
Charles urged the crowd to show their support, and they responded by a raising a huge roar and chanting "Philip, Philip".
Philip's new health scare comes less than six months after he suffered chest pains during the Christmas break and was treated for a blocked coronary artery.
He appeared in good health on Sunday as he travelled on the royal barge in chilly conditions during a 1,000-boat river pageant, the centrepiece of the jubilee celebrations.
(Tuoitrenews)
