Sun forecast for Jubilee concert

Revellers attending the Diamond Jubilee concert should be able to leave their umbrellas at home after the wet and wintry weather which marred Sunday's festivities subsided.

Experts said London would experience a combination of showers and dry spells throughout the day, but sunny conditions were expected as the star-studded event at Buckingham Palace gets under way at 7.30pm.

It would be a big improvement on Sunday's weather when downpours and cold winds hit the capital during the river pageant.

Andy Ratcliffe, a forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Today's weather should be much better than the dank, drizzly conditions which hampered yesterday's celebrations."

He added: "By the time the concert starts the rain should have totally cleared and there is a good chance it will be sunny."

Mr Ratcliffe said temperatures should be a couple of degrees up on yesterday, with 14C expected in London during the day.

But he added that it will cool down and become quite chilly during the concert, which will see the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, JLS, Sir Elton John and Kylie Minogue perform in front of the Royal Family.

Guests will attend a Jubilee picnic in the Buckingham Palace Gardens before the concert - which is the headline event on the third day of the four-day celebration to mark the Queen's 60 years on the throne.

The thousands of royal supporters who turned up to watch the 1,000-boat flotilla travel down the Thames were forced to huddle under umbrellas to shelter from the heavy downpours and drizzle yesterday afternoon. Six pageant participants were taken to hospital after becoming very cold and wet, while another 40 people were treated by medics on the banks of the river.

The Queen and other members of the Royal Family will take part in a carriage procession from Westminster to Buckingham Palace at 2.20pm on Tuesday, before appearing on the palace's balcony.