A spectacular flypast and the sound of a million people joining a patriotic singalong have brought the final day of the Golden Jubilee celebrations to a close

The Queen and senior members of the Royal Family watched from a balcony at Buckingham Palace as 27 planes, ending with Concorde and the Red Arrows, flew above the Mall.

Gratitude, respect and pride, these words sum up how I feel about the people of this country and the Commonwealth - and what this Golden Jubilee means to me

The Queen

That was followed by two renditions of Land of Hope and Glory and the national anthem by the huge crowds in a sea of Union Flags below.

About 20,000 performers from Britain and the Commonwealth had taken part in a colourful and diverse parade in the afternoon.

Heathrow airport closed down for 10 minutes to allow the safe passage of the aircraft over London.

Concorde and the Red Arrows thrilled the crowds

Flying at an altitude of 1,500ft, the planes grouped in eight formations, each separated by two miles.

Other aircraft taking part included C17 Globemaster, two Tornados, a Nimrod, and the new Eurofighter, which will enter service with the RAF later this year.

The Red Arrows released red, white and blue smoke as Land Of Hope And Glory rang out across the Mall and the Queen waved goodbye to the thousands of flag-waving spectators.

Cheers for princes

Earlier, children from theatre group Chicken Shed escorted the Queen from the royal stage to Buckingham Palace, following the parades.

A gift from the Commonwealth was unveiled by children in the forecourt.

It was an embroidered balcony hanging with badges representing the different countries, commissioned by the Royal School of Needlework.

The Mall sang and waved in appreciation

While the Royal Family made their way up to the balcony, the crowds outside sang You'll Never Walk Alone.

First the Queen appeared, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, to rapturous applause.

But the decibel level soared when the Princes William and Harry emerged.

A Welsh choir then led the crowd in a verse of We'll Keep A Welcome.

One of the spectators, Elly Hardy, 24, from York, said: "It was so good to see Concorde flying again, especially with the Red Arrows. It showed the best of Britain."

After the flypast, the Queen returned twice to wave to the applauding crowds.

A canopy for the palace balcony was decorated with Commonwealth symbols

Even after the royals left the balcony, a steel band continued the Caribbean rhythms heard earlier in the day.

In the parades, about 2,500 Notting Hill Carnival performers led the way from the Victoria Embankment to Trafalgar Square.

Among those that followed were a children's theatre group, a 5,000-strong gospel choir, war veterans and Hell's Angels.

Some floats demonstrated cultural changes in fashion and food as well as political events such as the miners' strike.

Tributes

The crowds were estimated to equal those who saw the Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977.

When Green Park was full, police directed the crowds to Hyde Park to watch the display on big screens.

There were only three arrests and 37 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Prince William was a crowd favourite

The Queen had earlier attended a lunch at the Guildhall attended by 700 VIPs, in which she thanked her family and the nation for their support.

Tony Blair also made a speech in which he paid tribute to the monarch's dedication, echoing earlier comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, at a thanksgiving service in St Paul's Cathedral.

There was one note of dissent in the day's festivities - more than 40 anti-royalists planning a demonstration were arrested after failing to co-operate with police.

Supporters of Movement Against the Monarchy (MA'M) had gathered earlier at Tower Hill in east London for an "Execute the Queen" street party but were quickly detained, Scotland Yard said.