One can only hope that the UK remembers the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for many years to come.

It is unlikely that we will see another Jubilee for decades, unless our gracious Monarch lives another ten years, which is possible. As I said yesterday, the Queen Mother died just days short of her 102nd birthday.

Her Majesty could not have imagined in 1952 that she would still be reigning today:

The icing on the cake was her third balcony appearance, speculated upon all weekend long. Many were surprised and everyone was gratified that the Queen travelled from Windsor Castle to appear at Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday, June 5:

The Queen expressed her thanks within the hour:

The Telegraph said that the letter truly characterised the Queen’s service to the United Kingdom and to the Commonwealth:

While her advancing years may be limiting her mobility, the Queen made it clear that her determination to do her duty remains undimmed, with a renewed pledge to serve her country “to the best of my ability” …

The message recalled the promise she made on her 21st birthday to committing her whole life to service. She has been as good as her word.

For those who prefer not to read a Twitter image, the letter reads as follows:

When it comes to how to mark 70 years as your Queen, there is no guidebook to follow. It really is a first.

But I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.

While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family.

I have been inspired by the kindness, joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days, and I hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come.

I thank you most sincerely for your good wishes and for the part you have all played in these happy celebrations.

The Telegraph went on to say that the Queen preferred to use Prince Philip’s walking stick rather than a crook that the Army presented her representatives with on Thursday:

Her balcony appearance not only provided a perfect ending to the celebrations but was also laden with symbolism and poignancy.

The late Prince Philip was represented by the walking stick the Queen clutched tightly – chosen over a crook gifted to her last week – which had belonged to the man who was her “strength and stay”.

It was also clear that she wanted to accustom us to the future of the Royal Family with four generations represented on the balcony:

The Telegraph article said:

And after four days of reflecting on the past, Her Majesty gave Britain a vision of its future as its next three kings stood by her side. Princes Charles, William and George shared the moment, representing a confidence that the monarchy will outlast almost everyone who witnessed the moment.

The Queen was sincere in her appreciation of the weekend’s events and the endless crowds:

As she stepped out onto the balcony for an appearance that lasted just under three minutes, the Queen described the scene in front of her as “fabulous”, telling her family: “Oh my goodness, oh look at this.”

After the crowd sang the National Anthem to her and red, white and blue smoke was fired into the air, she turned to Prince George and said: “Wow! Did you expect that?”

It was a shame that the weather was not good enough for the RAF’s Red Arrows to do a second flypast.

The Queen was grateful as were those of us watching the weekend’s events, whether in person or at home. She appreciated us and we appreciated her — pure symbiosis:

Another Telegraph article pointed out:

Even if physical impairment meant she was not seen as often as she no doubt would have liked over the long weekend, hers was nonetheless a constant presence as it has been throughout her reign.

Her loyal service over 70 years is remarkable, and the enthusiasm with which the Jubilee was celebrated was the country’s way of demonstrating how much her devotion and hard work is appreciated and the affection in which she is held …

As Her Majesty said in a statement marking the end of the celebrations, “When it comes to how to mark 70 years as your Queen, there is no guidebook to follow.” Yet her appearance on the Palace balcony before a vast crowd was a truly poignant and historic moment. The likelihood of there ever being another Platinum Jubilee is sufficiently minuscule for everyone to know that we have been involved in an event that will live long in the national memory.

David Suchet, the actor who played Hercule Poirot for so many years, was honoured to have been part of the BBC’s coverage of Friday’s Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral:

The Times told us that the Platinum Jubilee weekend was ‘a party like no other’. How true. Emphases mine below:

This was a party like no other. It has not happened before and it will not happen again, as so many of those thronging the Mall, festooning their villages with bunting and sharing their festive cakes and sandwiches at street parties told television cameras from around the world. It was a rare occasion on which it did not seem old-fashioned to be patriotic or openly proud of the nation’s heritage. It was a time when the values of friendship, good humour and neighbourliness were on full display in a shared celebration of nationhood.

Above all, the jubilee succeeded because it was planned and arranged with a professionalism and meticulous attention to detail that also left room for spontaneity, surprising all those who had not expected much from the occasion but rapidly became caught up in the excitement. The fly-past spelling an elegant 70 was a demonstration of remarkable skill. The drones that lit up the evening sky with their heraldic devices and symbols of royalty made the most of today’s technology. The beacons that flashed out electronically harked back to ancient days when danger had to be signalled by fire across the country. The ceremonies at Cardiff Castle and elsewhere made this a national, not London-centric, tribute. And the colourful contribution of Britain’s vibrant ethnic minorities underlined the ethnic and cultural transformation of Britain during the Queen’s very long reign.

The editorial also stated that taxpayers did not have to foot an enormous bill for the events:

The outpouring of affection and respect for a monarch who must now rate as one of the greatest to sit on the throne was the focus of the jubilee. As important, however, was the relief of so many people to escape from the daily headlines of war, economic gloom, inflation, travel chaos and domestic political turmoil. If foreign holidays are now blighted by nightmare journeys, at least there was a chance to have some fun and respite at home. Thanks to generous sponsors, there won‘t be a huge bill for taxpayers to pick up later. And it was a relief to be able to have parties of as many as wanted to come without the threat of police fines.

It also defended the importance of celebrating jubilees:

All jubilees are artificial constructs. The nation could give thanks to the Queen on any day. But they serve as punctuation marks in British history, and are used as occasions to look forward as well as back.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the unsung heroes who made last weekend’s events possible.

Thousands of them worked behind the scenes. We’ll never know who they were, but they did an excellent job, as a letter writer to the Telegraph said:

SIR – The hard work, dedication, imagination and superb logistical skill of those who organised the Platinum Party at the Palace contrast greatly with the idleness and inefficiency of the people who run our lives.

What a change there could be if the organisers were put in charge of airlines, railways, the Civil Service, local government and many industries and businesses.

Hear, hear.

The late William F Buckley Jr once said that one could get better American government by choosing the first 400 people listed in the Boston phone book.

The same holds true in the UK. Choose London, Birmingham, Edinburgh or Belfast. We the people could govern better.

Let’s look at the team of people who organised the magnificent — and oh so clever — drone display for Saturday’s Platinum Party at the Palace.

The Sunday Times reported:

The team behind the drone display that lit up the sky above Buckingham Palace had to rehearse in an off-grid location to keep it under wraps.

Audiences on Saturday night were awed by a light show featuring 400 illuminated drones that drew shapes including a giant corgi, a cup of tea, the Queen’s handbag and a postage stamp bearing her profile.

It was developed by the light show company Skymagic, which was also behind the impressive displays that have lit up London as part of the last two New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The Platinum Jubilee project took about six months to develop and the Skymagic crew had to rehearse in a secret location far from the capital, away from prying eyes. Ordinarily the team of six would have time for several dress rehearsals on site, but due to the high security and secrecy of the Jubilee celebrations, last night was the first time they carried out the display at Buckingham Palace.

Patrick O’Mahony, the company director who led the display from the front, said: “Seeing it in situation for the first time the moment it lit up in front of the palace — being broadcast globally and with a live audience under the threat of rain — it was an intense eight minutes that’s for sure” …

“In this case, very much like New Year’s Eve, we were keen not to give the secret away beforehand so couldn’t rehearse the whole show onsite,” O’Mahoney said. “The images are 200 metres high and 200 metres wide so can’t really be hidden in central London. We rehearse offsite at an off-grid space near our studios in Leeds where we tested the file to make sure it’s correct.”

Things move quickly when the performances are going on, so the team watch it in full afterwards:

O’Mahony said he was only now able to reflect on the Jubilee performance. “When it’s actually flying, things are a bit of a blur, caught up with checking systems and making sure everything is right,” he said.

“We often operate internationally, the vast majority of our shows are abroad, so to do a show of this kind in central London at the palace was amazing. It’s nice now to be able to rewatch it and see what it was actually like. It all goes by very quickly and you’re glad when the fleet is back on the ground.”

The Mail had more photos and a video of the magnificent drone configurations as well as more from Skymagic’s O’Mahony on how his company developed them:

The performance was created in the six months up to the event, with the SKYMAGIC team working with the BBC and the palace on designs.

Once a finished storyboard had been agreed, including the much-loved corgi, the design was animated by the team using specialist software.

They then assign ‘individual way points’ to each drone so that they can carry out their ‘own mission’ on the night …

The battery-powered drones have two geo fences surrounding them, meaning that if anything went wrong and the drone reached the fence, it would carefully lower to the ground.

As for the marvellous designs:

He said that his team had a lot of ‘creative freedom’ over the light show’s contents, working with the BBC and the palace to create a spectacular performance.

‘It started with a brainstorm and pencil sketches, going back and forth to agree a storyboard,’ he said.

‘We are big advocates for anything character-led, so we proposed the corgi and the teapot.

‘If you create a loveable character, people warm to it. We were keen to adopt a playful tone, with the second half more a homage to the Queen.’ 

The drones were marvellous and every bit as good as fireworks, if not better, because of the images.

The other high-tech feature worth exploring were the hologram images used to create the illusion that the Queen was in her Gold State Carriage waving to us on Sunday during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

Here is The Telegraph’s video of the pageant in full:

Although the Gold State Carriage looks as if it came straight out of a fairy tale, it is highly uncomfortable for modern monarchs. This is because of its lack of suspension, making the ride highly bumpy. The Queen last rode in it for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.

After all, it was completed in 1762. George IV was the first to use it at his coronation.

The carriage had to be refurbished several years ago and only makes rare appearances now.

The images of a youthful Queen waving on her Coronation Day came from the London-based company, Treatment Studio.

The Sunday Times reported:

Helped by Buckingham Palace conservators, its team assembled digital screens featuring holograms of the young Queen on to a custom-made steel framework that sits inside the coach.

“Very little of the original footage was suitable for what we needed so we had to create ‘new’ content of our own. By compositing and manipulating footage from multiple sources, we were able to create believable images of the young queen as she was at her coronation,” Willie Williams, the founder of Treatment Studio, said. You can read more here.

It was a work of genius.

Considering all these things over the past few days made me realise that the Queen cannot exist in a vacuum. Nor can royalist subjects exist without her.

She truly is someone who has transcended time, providing a constant presence, even if we do not see her that often anymore.

There is a symbiotic relationship that exists between Her Majesty and those of us who are loyal to her.

Whether we will see that level of dedication and service with her successor remains to be seen.

Knowing that makes us even more appreciative of her presence while she continues to reign graciously and quietly.