A uniquely British occasion was marked in a uniquely British way yesterday. On a peculiarly wretched June afternoon, uncountable thousands of people left the comfort of their homes to stand by the banks of the Thames in London to catch a momentary glimpse of the Queen as she passed by on the royal barge.

They got cold, they got drenched, they had barely a clue what was happening – unlike everyone else in the country who had saturation television coverage. But they were there, they were part of it, they were able to show their appreciation for the Queen’s 60 years on the throne. And, as one woman said as she hurried away through the downpour: “We won’t see that again in our lifetimes.”

The thousand-boat river pageant was the centrepiece of a weekend of celebrations for the Queen’s diamond jubilee. Had it taken place a week earlier – the normal spring bank holiday date – people would have suffered sunstroke. Hypothermia was more likely yesterday.