With shops filled with jelly moulds of the Queen’s face, soldiers chanting three cheers for the Queen and freshly painted boats ready to sail along the River Thames, Britain is now fully prepared for Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Full dress rehearsal of a procession have started between Westminster Hall and Buckingham Palace, ahead of the weekend’s Jubilee celebrations. As the rest of London was sleeping, thousands of servicemen and women braved the early morning chill and gathered at Wellington Barracks for one final rehearsal ahead of Tuesday’s carriage procession.

Members of the Household Cavalry Mounted Division rode from the Palace of Westminster along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square before proceeding along the Mall towards Buckingham Palace.

As the procession practiced between 3.30 am and 6 am BST, roads were closed off across central London. The Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the Royal Air Force Colour Squadron, the Household Cavalry, and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery were among the armed forces that took part in the rehearsal.

But as Brits get ready for four days of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne, questions linger about the future of the monarchy when her 63-year-old son Charles becomes king.

The Guardian poll showed that only 39% of Brits wanted the crown to pass to Charles while 48% wanted it to skip a generation and go to his son Prince William. Opposition to Charles could pose a king-sized problem for an institution which relies on personal public appeal to stay relevant in the modern world, say republicans and royal watchers.

“I think in international terms the monarchy will survive in Australia and New Zealand for the reign of the present queen. I don’t think it’s at all certain it will survive after that,” said royal biographer Robert Lacey, who is concerned that this could also inflame republican sentiments in the other countries where the British monarch remains head of state.

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