So the Queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the final act of the Jubilee.
There was rapturous applause from a crowd who were surprised as well as delighted to see her.
After so many concerns about her health there had been doubts about her being there.
The Red Arrows didn’t make it, because of the weather, but she made it. It seemed appropriate for such a tenacious monarch.
She arrived at the end of the pageant. That parade had been an hallucinogenic Jubilee cocktail of music, puppets, dancers, classic cars and even older celebrities.
It was baffling, brilliant and bonkers.
The Queen’s appearance had its own symbolism, accompanied by those who will follow her – Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Catherine and their children.
It felt like a bit of history and an image we’ll see in the years ahead.
BBC