Diana Wichtel: Jubilee flotilla’s vibe

There’s nothing like a royal pageant to demonstrate that we haven’t moved on much since the 18th century.

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16th June, 2012

The punishingly perky Anneka Rice best summarised the Jubilee flotilla vibe: “We’re British, it’s a mad day and it’s raining!” Rice had been packed off to the Millennium Bridge, where 20 painters set up easels in a tribute to Canaletto’s The River Thames with St Paul’s Cathedral on Lord Mayor’s Day. The soggy results suggested that if Canaletto had been painting today rather than in 1746, he would have invented Impressionism. Never mind. The famous painter earned his keep in the commentary box, where everyone took turns declaring the scene on the Thames to be a “Canaletto ...

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