By . Glen Owen . PUBLISHED: . 17:00 EST, 14 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:52 EST, 14 April 2012 . The Queen’s Jubilee flotilla is being paid for by foreign donors after British firms refused to contribute to the £10 million cost because of a ban on branding on the boats. The pageant of more than 1,000 boats, which will sail down the Thames on June 3 to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty’s reign, is expected to attract more than a million spectators to the riverbank. But a Mail on Sunday survey has revealed that most FTSE 100 companies have not donated to the event, which at the Queen’s request is being funded by private sponsorship. Abandoned ship: The Queen's Jubilee flotilla is being paid for by foreign donors after British firms refused to contribute to the £10¿million cost . Businesses appear to have been deterred by the lack of opportunity to receive branding on the boats. The shortfall has forced organisers to turn to wealthy foreign investors. A number of six-figure cheques from America, the Far East and Australia has led to confidence among the organisers that they will meet the £10 million target. Organisers made it clear to potential benefactors that overt advertising would be banned to preserve the dignity of the occasion. Those who have failed to contribute include consumer goods company Unilever, which holds a Royal Warrant, and British Airways, the national carrier used by the Queen when she takes commercial flights. Celebrations: At the Queen's request the event is being funded by private sponsorship . The Queen does not want tax- payers’ money to be spent on the celebration given the mood of economic austerity. ‘She is very sensitive to that,’ said Lord Salisbury, the Conservative peer who chairs the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation, which is organising the event. Among the few UK businesses that have contributed to the foundation are HSBC bank, which has given £100,000, and Sainsbury’s, which is sponsoring two vessels. Lord Salisbury made clear at the outset that he would prefer blue-chip contributors, saying he did not want ‘to make it a Tesco pageant’. The UK headquarters of British-Dutch company Unilever are by London’s Blackfriars Bridge – offering unrivalled views of the event. Three of the company’s best-known products, Stork margarine, Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Colman’s mustard, bear the Royal warrant. The procession, from Wandsworth to Tower Bridge, will be led by Gloriana, a hand-built 88ft Royal Rowbarge, followed by a fleet of paddled vessels including coracles, American whalers and Second World War landing craft. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will travel in tourist cruiser Spirit of Chartwell. The Sunday pageant will be the centrepiece of the four-day weekend’s jubilee celebrations, which will also include a concert at Buckingham Palace. Opt out: Among the British companies who have failed to contribute are consumer goods company Unilever, which holds a Royal Warrant, and British Airways . A source close to the fundraising effort said: ‘We accept the economic climate is difficult, but we were surprised a higher-than-expected proportion of donations came from overseas. It has been a pretty poor show from corporate UK.’ A British Airways spokesman said: ‘We’ll be releasing any plans we have in due course.’ A spokeswoman for Unilever admitted the company was not part of the pageant. A spokesman for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation said: ‘The trustees are confident we will deliver our target of fully funding the pageant through private donations. ‘We never comment about individual donors or potential donors unless we have their permission.’
Unilever and British Airways among those who failed to contribute .
By . Glen Owen . PUBLISHED: . 17:00 EST, 14 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:52 EST, 14 April 2012 . The Queen’s Jubilee flotilla is being paid for by foreign donors after British firms refused to contribute to the £10 million cost because of a ban on branding on the boats. The pageant of more than 1,000 boats, which will sail down the Thames on June 3 to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty’s reign, is expected to attract more than a million spectators to the riverbank. But a Mail on Sunday survey has revealed that most FTSE 100 companies have not donated to the event, which at the Queen’s request is being funded by private sponsorship. Abandoned ship: The Queen's Jubilee flotilla is being paid for by foreign donors after British firms refused to contribute to the £10¿million cost . Businesses appear to have been deterred by the lack of opportunity to receive branding on the boats. The shortfall has forced organisers to turn to wealthy foreign investors. A number of six-figure cheques from America, the Far East and Australia has led to confidence among the organisers that they will meet the £10 million target. Organisers made it clear to potential benefactors that overt advertising would be banned to preserve the dignity of the occasion. Those who have failed to contribute include consumer goods company Unilever, which holds a Royal Warrant, and British Airways, the national carrier used by the Queen when she takes commercial flights. Celebrations: At the Queen's request the event is being funded by private sponsorship . The Queen does not want tax- payers’ money to be spent on the celebration given the mood of economic austerity. ‘She is very sensitive to that,’ said Lord Salisbury, the Conservative peer who chairs the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation, which is organising the event. Among the few UK businesses that have contributed to the foundation are HSBC bank, which has given £100,000, and Sainsbury’s, which is sponsoring two vessels. Lord Salisbury made clear at the outset that he would prefer blue-chip contributors, saying he did not want ‘to make it a Tesco pageant’. The UK headquarters of British-Dutch company Unilever are by London’s Blackfriars Bridge – offering unrivalled views of the event. Three of the company’s best-known products, Stork margarine, Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Colman’s mustard, bear the Royal warrant. The procession, from Wandsworth to Tower Bridge, will be led by Gloriana, a hand-built 88ft Royal Rowbarge, followed by a fleet of paddled vessels including coracles, American whalers and Second World War landing craft. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will travel in tourist cruiser Spirit of Chartwell. The Sunday pageant will be the centrepiece of the four-day weekend’s jubilee celebrations, which will also include a concert at Buckingham Palace. Opt out: Among the British companies who have failed to contribute are consumer goods company Unilever, which holds a Royal Warrant, and British Airways . A source close to the fundraising effort said: ‘We accept the economic climate is difficult, but we were surprised a higher-than-expected proportion of donations came from overseas. It has been a pretty poor show from corporate UK.’ A British Airways spokesman said: ‘We’ll be releasing any plans we have in due course.’ A spokeswoman for Unilever admitted the company was not part of the pageant. A spokesman for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation said: ‘The trustees are confident we will deliver our target of fully funding the pageant through private donations. ‘We never comment about individual donors or potential donors unless we have their permission.’
occasion. Those who have failed to contribute Royal Warrant, and British Airways . A source