A last minute phone call from Prince Charles persuaded the Queen to be there in person for what some have said was the highlight of the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Many commentators have said the high point of the four day celebration weekend was when the Queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
Dressed in a matching green outfit, the Queen stood alongside a streamlined verson of the working members of the royal family.
But the amazing moment nearly didn’t happen at all after the Queen was close to not attending in the hours running up to the pageant.
Reports have said that the 96-year-old monarch wasn’t feeling too well, and it was only thanks to a phone call from the Prince of Wales that she ended up being there.
The Daily Mail reported that a source said: “The Queen only decided that she would go to London about three hours before the balcony appearance.
“She was not feeling brilliant but the Prince of Wales had called her and told her she really ought to come if she could.
“He told her there were so many people desperate to see her and he convinced her to come.”
The Queen made the journey from Windsor down to London and was left “tearful and overwhelmed with emotion” during the grand finale of the celebrations last Sunday.
She was reportedly taken aback and left amazed by the sheer number of people who travelled from all over the world to see her, and had tears in her eyes before she stepped out onto the balcony.
After an agreement with Charles and William, the appearance was carefully choreographed.
This meant the monarch would have the Prince of Wales to her right, and the Duke of Cambridge, and his eldest son, Prince George, to her left, as an image of the next three generations of royals.
However, sadly it may be the last time that all four generations are seen at such a high profile occasion.
A source told the Mail that she will now gradually use more and more virtual appointments and digital appearances over appearing in person.
She is now expected to take a long summer break in Scotland, where Craigowan Lodge, a stone cottage on the Balmoral Estate, has been fitted with mobility aides, including a stair lift to help the ageing Queen.
In response to the huge turn out of support over the jubilee weekend, the Queen issued a personal message of thanks.
She said: “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.”
