LONDON (CP) -- The Queen Mother's century paraded before her Thursday in a 100th birthday pageant that was partly formal, but mostly off the wall.

 It started formally with stiffly marching military bands, pipes and drums, cavalry regiments and the fanfare of royal trumpets. But the largest part of the 90-minute show leaned to the lighter side of life.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, arrives Wednesday July 19, 2000, with her grandson, the Prince of Wales, for a pageant on London's Horse Guards Parade to mark her 100th birthday. The Queen Mother turns 100-years-old on August 4th. (AP Photo, Toby Melville, PA) Parade Photo Gallery

 With the release of 100 white doves, a chronicle of the 10 decades of the Queen Mother's life moved across Horse Guards, a sweeping parade ground in central London.

 There were flappers, hippies, punks, the throb of Harley Davidsons, Beatles impersonators and hula hoops. There were buses, bulls, sheep, cows, street cleaners and camels.

 Many of the home-made floats wouldn't have been out of place at any small town parade in Canada, including a rather undersized model of Mount Everest intended to mark the conquest of the world's highest point during the last century.

 There were the well-known charitable groups of which the Queen Mother serves as patron, such as the British Red Cross, mixed with some more obscure civilian organizations, like the Hastings Winkle Club.

 Even a bomb threat, believed to be the work of a dissident Irish group, failed to derail the parade on a perfect summer evening.

 The threat affected two London subway stations, one near the parade grounds.

 The Queen Mother, who doesn't turn 100 until Aug. 4, watched from beneath a canopy of flowers with Prince Charles, her favourite grandson, by her side.

 "I would just like to say a heartfelt thank you to all those who have come from far and near to take part in this lovely parade," said the Queen Mother, the most popular of the Royal Family, who met the occasion dressed in a pink outfit and wearing one of her trademark upturned hats.

 "It has been a great joy to be here. And the marchers, the children, my regiments, especially the music -- the excellent musicians -- have been a wonderful joy to hear."

 Many of the 12,000 invited guests to Horse Guards Parade represented the 350 charitable and civilian organizations of which the Queen Mother is associated.

 The military regiments included three from Canada: the Toronto Scottish Regiment, the Black Watch of Canada, based in Montreal, and the Canadian Forces Medical Services. The Queen Mother is colonel-in-chief of all three.

 For Lt.-Col. Julian Chapman, commanding officer of the Toronto Scottish, the parade was a successful end to a year of preparation.

 "We're very proud, very proud for the regiment, the Commonwealth and we're very proud of our colonel-in-chief. She is an incredible woman," he said.

 As a birthday gift, Chapman sought the Queen Mother's permission over lunch in February to rename the regiment. Confirmation of the name change is expected before Aug. 4, when it will be known as The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own.)

 Gene Kerrigan, a second-lieutenant, watched the parade out of the corner of his eye as he stood at attention on the fabled parade grounds with the flag representing the regiment's battle colours.

 "It was tremendous," said Kerrigan, 48, an inspector with York Regional Police in civilian life who lives in Keswick, Ont.

 "The actual parade, the military portion of the parade was extremely inspiring."

 Sgt. Frank Robinson, 33, described the parade as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

 "Hearing her speak just really touched me, it was an incredible moment to be involved in," said Robinson, a chemical technician who lives in Richmond Hill, Ont.

 Some members of the Canadian contingent will also participate in celebrations on July 27 at Edinburgh Castle that commemorate the royal dowager's 100th birthday as the month-long party continues.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother arrives at London's Horse Guards parade. (AP Photo, Max Nash) Parade Photo Gallery

 About 6,000 people took part in the parade at Horse Guards, surrounded on three sides by temporary grandstands for the event and a large canopied stage for the choir and orchestra.

 While all elements of the pageant held some significance to the Queen Mother's life, some were a little more obvious than others.

 The two Spitfires that flew over, the Lancaster and the Bristol Blenheim, clearly signified the Queen Mother's importance to Britain during the Second World War.

 During the war the Queen Mother, then known as Queen Elizabeth, and her husband King George VI refused to leave London. They often walked through the bombed-out streets of East London, offering their support to the people.

 The explanation for the camels probably isn't instantly known by most.

 The Queen Mum is an honorary member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers whose coat of arms includes camels, representing the camel trains used to carry spices that eventually ended up in Britain.

 And since the Queen Mum is known for enjoying a day at the races, horses were prominent at the parade, including the race horse Desert Orchid, four time winner of the King George VI cup.

 Along with a steady chorus of favourite tunes from the war was an appearance by singer Dame Vera Lynn, although she didn't sing.

 The parade was the largest public event of the centenary celebrations and John Aimers, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada, thought it hit just the right note.

 "It was a joyous celebration," he said. "There was the sublime and the ridiculous."