As the church sang God Save The Queen, which seemed to stand one centimeter higher for the now rare performance in the presence of the monarch herself, the Queen seemed excited and quickly blinked at an unusual break in complete composure. As she left, walking back down the road she came, she threw a big smile at Doyin Sonibare, the DofE Gold Award winner who read her own tribute and was accompanied to meet her. Ms Sonibare, 28, said: “She thanked me for my speech. She was wonderful, really kind. And she asked me what I did for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.” Confirmation of the Queen’s presence was left just hours before her arrival, as helpers waited to find out how she was feeling. In this case, no casual viewer would have realized that something was wrong. Her appearance raised hopes that she may be able to participate a little more actively in the celebrations of her Jubilee in June. Palace sources said she would adjust her calendar accordingly, in order to participate in some way in the key events of the bank holiday weekend. On Tuesday night, the royal family organized receptions for visiting foreign kings. The Prince of Wales entertained kings, queens, successor princes and princesses at Clarence House, and the Duke’s relatives welcomed the Queen to Windsor. Prince Charles is thought to have joined the family reunion later with his brothers.
