THE beam on Her Majesty’s face said it all.
The Queen had looked slightly tentative, frail even, as she first walked out on to the Buckingham Palace balcony to acknowledge her parading troops — albeit still in remarkable form for a 96-year-old with mobility problems.
But once she re-emerged a short while later, it was almost as if you could see the enthusiastic cheers from the crowds below infusing her with renewed vigour.
And by the conclusion of the awe-inspiring flypast — which saw the magnificent Red Arrows for once upstaged by the stirring sight of 15 Typhoon jets spelling out “70” in formation — our monarch seemed entirely rejuvenated.
The climax to the Queen’s Birthday Parade proved as rousing a start to her Platinum Jubilee extravaganza as we could have wished.
Drilled to perfection, nearly 2,000 troops from the Household Division delivered a faultless Trooping the Colour spectacle — despite a handful of twerps who tried to interrupt the march up the Mall with a misjudged vegan protest.
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If the demonstrators, or anyone else, doubted the affection in which the Queen is held, they only have to look at the multitude of well-wishers packing Trafalgar Square and beyond to be close to their beloved monarch on her special day.
It’s a respect mirrored around the world, with US President Joe Biden yesterday praising her “selfless devotion and service”.
Speaking for the French — usually no lovers of monarchy — Emmanuel Macron delivered a fitting tribute when he spoke of the Queen as “the golden thread that binds our two nations”.
To Britons, she is even more valuable: the platinum thread that binds generation upon generation through the constancy of her record-breaking reign.
Inevitably, the younger generations of her own family are taking more of the strain, and yesterday Prince Charles did her proud by standing in to inspect the troops in Horse Guards Parade.
But it was the youngest generation of royals that stole the limelight, with Wills and Kate’s three children charming the nation.
Four-year-old Prince Louis in particular provoked coos and giggles in equal measure with his miniature sailor suit and cheeky antics.
On the balcony he was excitedly nattering away to his clearly tickled great-grandmother, before comically grimacing and putting his hands over his ears as the flypast roared overhead.
Earlier, on the carriage ride, he was gently chided for his over-enthusiastic waving by Princess Charlotte and Prince George, who — aged seven and eight respectively — obviously feel they are old hands at processions by now.
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If they think they’ve seen it all, imagine how the Queen must feel with nearly 90 years’ more experience.
And if Her Majesty’s revitalised smile was anything to judge by, hopefully the withdrawal from the cathedral service is just a minor setback and those pilots can start practising their “75” formation for a Double Diamond Jubilee in 2027.
