Diplomacy ruled the waves, but not the shores, as the British and French navies joined forces on Tuesday in the biggest-ever international fleet review to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson's defeat of Napoleon's ships off Trafalgar 200 years ago.

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh sailed past a fleet of 35 navies and 174 vessels, dominated by the Charles de Gaulle, the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier whose overwhelming presence off Portsmouth dismayed not a few British onlookers.

“It's a kick in the teeth”, said Peter Keatley, a ceramic tiler from London, of the carrier, as the French had “come across with a better navy and they haven't even won a war.” Diplomatic niceties also required that a re-enactment of the sea battle be conducted by two sides of “reds” and “blues”, without producing a clear victor. There was no direct reference to the battle off the Spanish coast, which gave Britain control of the seas for a century and sent the French and Spanish navies into near oblivion.

But few among the tens of thousands watching the display were fooled by the rebranding. Among the critics was Anna Tribe, a 75-year-old descendant of the British admiral who commanded the fleet at Trafalgar and was killed by a French marksman knowing that the battle was won.

The idea of a fight between blues and was “pretty stupid”, said Ms Tribe. “I'm sure the French and Spanish are adult enough to appreciate we did win that battle.”

The year-long British celebration of Trafalgar it took place on October 21, 1805 comes at a time of concern in the UK about navy budget cuts. With the number of surface combatant ships set to be cut from 34 to 25 in the coming years, senior navy officers complain that the force is becoming too small.