A 300-year-old family-run river boat business has been chosen to take part in celebrations to mark the Queen’s 60-year reign.

Turk Launches, which operates from the Kingston banks of the Thames, will show off the New Southern Belle and the Yarmouth Belle during the Queen’s diamond jubilee pageant in June.

The two vessels, a Mississippi paddle steamer and English side wheeler built in 1892, beat stiff competition to join some of the country’s most prestigious boats.

The boats have been privately hired to participate in the flotilla, the centrepiece of which will be the lavishly decorated royal barge carrying the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Richard Turk, managing director of Turk Launches, said: “Coming from a family of Royal Watermen, I am especially proud to have been selected to be a part of the celebrations for the Queen’s diamond jubilee.

“This will be a one-off historic event and Turks will be showcasing its two paddle steamers with enormous pride as part of the procession down the river.”

This is not the first time the Kingston company has been given the royal seal of approval.

According to Mr Turk the company has been building boats for the monarch for centuries, including a craft for Queen Victoria.

He said: “The way things are going this is going to be the biggest event of the year, bigger than the Olympics and bigger even than the royal wedding.

“We have been making boats for royalty for a very long time and considering our history it is a real pleasure to be involved.”

The pageant will take place on Sunday, June 3, journeying down river from Putney to Tower Bridge and will play host to VIP guests from Battersea to Greenwich.