According to the Sunday Times, Her Majesty, 95, tuned in to the nail-biting series while dealing with the death of the Duke of Edinburgh and the fall-out from Prince Harry and Meghan s Oprah interview.
With a dash of Countryfile, a smattering of The Choir and more than a hint of 3pm on Christmas Day, this was not so much ‘A Celebration for Commonwealth Day’ – as BBC1 called it – as a genuine royal variety performance.
We saw the Queen striding happily through Windsor Castle – talking about ‘selfless dedication to duty’ and ‘transcending division’. We watched a speech from the Prince of Wales at the lectern of Westminster Abbey.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge discussed healthcare over a video call with a doctor in South Africa while the Countess of Wessex talked women’s rights with Malawi and Australia.