Save the best for last!

On June 5, Queen Elizabeth II, 96, made a surprise appearance at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, the final event of a four-day celebration marking her 70 years on the throne. The ceremonial monarch, who suffers from mobility problems and had been absent from the festivities since June 2, greeted the crowd from a Buckingham Palace balcony, along with her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, plus Prince William and Kate Middleton and their sons Prince George, 8, and Prince Louis, 4, and daughter Princess Charlotte, 7. 

The Queen, who walked with a cane, and the princess, who many fans believe resembles her, shared a heartwarming twinning moment: Both greeted the crowd gathered below with Her Majesty’s signature wave, with Charlotte taking the initiative following years of observing her great-grandmother at royal events.

Moments before, her family members and the spectators gathered outside the palace sang the British national anthem, “God Save the Queen.”