How else to understand that strain of the nation that still enjoys nothing more than catching a glimpse of hereditary princes greeted on cathedral steps by a cast of characters who, to less reverential eyes, appear to be assembled from assorted Gilbert and Sullivan am-drams? вЂњThe scarlet coats have lasted well,вЂќ David Dimbleby informed the nation, with due reverence. There was a jarring note when the prime minister, with half a haircut, got up in St PaulвЂ™s cathedral to give a brief sermon on the virtues of truth, but still, he knows heвЂ™s on to something when he makes his cringeworthy appeals for the restoration of imperial measurements. (With Johnny Rotten on one side of the river and Elton John, Diana Ross and Duran Duran on the other, the jubilee party provided a faithful costume re-enactment of the chart wars of 1977-1982.)ДЄpart from her brief appearances вЂ“ and her branded ubiquity on everything from paper cups to tube lines вЂ“ the QueenвЂ™s formal contribution to the national knees-up involved a simple statement: вЂњI know that many happy memories will be created at these festive occasions.вЂќДЄnd memory, of course, is what it is all about. There was jousting at Hampton Court Palace and an вЂalternativeвЂ™ Royal Command Performance involving a screening of Pistol, Danny BoyleвЂ™s Sex Pistols series, at the South Bank. The capital, after a couple of isolating years of gloom, was packed the Tower of LondonвЂ™s вЂњSuperbloomвЂќ, 20 million wildflower seeds planted in the spring, had begun to flower. Parties have had a shameful name in the national conversation in recent months, but here, finally, was one that no one had to be embarrassed about. One part of that job, as this weekend has reminded us, was that the Queen is a rather unlikely firestarter. The New York Times balanced its report with a feature on Graham Smith, campaign leader of the Republic movement, stating the obvious: вЂњShe was given the job for life when she was 25, and sheвЂ™s still alive 70 years later so sheвЂ™s still got the job.вЂќ Not all media was quite so drunk on patriotism as our own, of course. Europeans were in thrall to the images, in part вЂњbecause of the contrast with BorisвЂќ. A couple of journalists from Brazil insisted this impossibly regimented version of carnival was big news in Rio. Photograph: Jim Holden/English Heritage/PAДЄnother widespread conviction, that the whole world was watching, was borne out to a degree in the press tent. Images of the Queen are projected on to Stonehenge to mark her platinum jubilee. Eavesdropped quotes: вЂњOh, sheвЂ™ll go past Louis XIVвЂ™s 72 years, no problemвЂќ and, вЂњThese red coats always remind me of that scene in Zulu.вЂќ вЂњNo other country can do this,вЂќ I kept hearing, as we watched men in gold braid on horses pass by, carrying tubas. The rest of the crowd were old soldiers from the British Legion, for whom thoughts of Queen and country are movingly linked with finest hours. I watched trooping the colour from the galleries set up in front of the palace. And the pantomime had a predictable villain: вЂњHarry was wonderful until he married that dreadful woman.вЂќ The scandal of her second son generally вЂњmakes me sad, sheвЂ™s an old lady, she doesnвЂ™t need itвЂќ. Young and old had the same lines: вЂњShe always puts the country first, and always will, unlike politiciansвЂќ вЂњIn all these years she has never put a foot wrongвЂќ вЂњWe had to come from just to show how much she is lovedвЂќ. Picknickers had little interest in debating the future of the institution. Green Park on Thursday was recast in red, white and blue. She was restored to smiles in the role of great-grandmother to Louis in his sailor suit, as a large crowd cheered the Red Arrows flypast. In the few minutes in which she took the salute from her household cavalry, the Queen looked weary next to her вЂњyouthfulвЂќ consort, the Duke of Kent, 86. If there is a saving grace of having a chosen family as the standard bearer of state, it is that it never grows old. Her absence audience-tested the institutionвЂ™s biggest challenge: the ongoing ability of the monarchy to draw a flag-waving crowd, and a vast television audience, without her. The QueenвЂ™s understandable withdrawal from her own party was explained first by вЂњmobility issuesвЂќ and then by her вЂњexperiencing discomfortвЂќ. The palace has a private lexicon of euphemism for the difficulties of what Sadiq Khan referred to as вЂњa 24/7 job at 96вЂќ. In among the celebrations вЂ“ whether the popping of patriotic prosecco on the Mall, or the sinking of innumerable jubilee lagers across the land the soaring high notes of St PaulвЂ™s choristers, or the thud of We Will Rock You in front of the palace вЂ“ this was also part of a long goodbye that began with her solitary attendance at Prince PhilipвЂ™s funeral last year.

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