At 4.30pm on Sunday, the excitement along the packed Mall intensified as the union flag was replaced with the royal standard above Buckingham Palace.
The thousands of devoted royal fans gathered knew immediately it meant the Queen was in residence, and there was now every chance they would get to see her after all.
The 96-year-old monarch, who had been forced to miss two days of her record breaking jubilee due to suffering with her mobility, summoned all her strength to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the future of the monarchy and bring the curtain down on four days of spellbinding celebrations.
An hour after witnessing a spine tingling rendition of the national anthem standing beside Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their three children, the Queen delivered an emotional message of gratitude to the country.
She said: “When it comes to how to mark seventy 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 Queen signed off the message “Elizabeth R”.
A billion people around the world tuned in to watch the close of the People’s Pageant, featuring 10,000 performers and dozens of ‘national treasures’ serving up a fascinating festival of colour and telling the story of the Queen’s record breaking 70 years on the throne.
The Queen had missed the two and a half hour performance watched by the royal family including the Prince of Wales, future queen Camilla, and Prince William, Kate and their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
But she had been “utterly determined” to make a brief appearance on the balcony of her London home to deliver a heartfelt thank you to the nation, according to royal sources.
The head of state appeared on the balcony for just three minutes, moments after British pop superstar Ed Sheeran standing outside the Palace gates belted out an emotional rendition of his smash hit ‘Perfect’.
A montage of images played on giant screens in a moving tribute to the Queen and Prince Philip, her late beloved husband of 73 years who died last April aged 99.
Millions of Brits up and down the country revelled in the celebrations over the bank holiday, with an estimated 85,000 street parties taking place over the weekend.
As the curtain came down on a stunning programme of events from marking the Queen’s official birthday at Trooping the Colour to the tub-thumping Buckingham Palace rock concert, Her Majesty thanked everyone who helped make once in a lifetime memories.
Among the royals who enjoyed the show in the jubilee pageant’s royal box were Princess Anne, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and baby August.
Anne’s son Peter Phillips was also joined by his children Savannah and Isla, while Zara and Mike Tindall took their girls Mia, 8, and Lena, 3.
Little Prince Louis, three, who stole show at Thursday’s Trooping the Colour parade after making a series of hilarious faces as a thunderous flypast flew over Buckingham Palace, once again was seen enjoying the show and laughing and joking with the other children.
Some eagle eyed royal fans in the crowd spotted the Union Jack being lowered from the flagpole on top of the palace at 4.30pm and replaced with the Royal Standard, signifying the Queen was in residence.
Palace aides had attempted to keep her appearance under wraps as a surprise for the nation and the thousands gathered outside the palace and lining London’s iconic Mall.
Professional lip reader John Cassidy said the Queen seemed surprised when coloured smoke was sent into the air after the end of the national anthem,
as she turned to great grandson Prince George, who stood at her side, and said: “Ah, brilliant! I didn’t know...”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge later tweeted: “Amazing display of street art, theatre, music, sport and more...what a joyous occasion!”
The spectacular event rounded off a long weekend of celebrations across the UK, including affectionate tributes from the Prince of Wales and national figures during the evening’s Platinum Party at the Palace on Saturday.
Stars including Diana Ross, George Ezra, Queen and Elbow performed in front of a crowd of about 22,000, and an average of nearly 12 million people in the UK watched the show on BBC One.
The Queen also revealed the age-old mystery of what she carries in her handbag as she took part in a delightful sketch with Paddington Bear, broadcast to kick off the concert and shared a marmalade sandwich.
