The Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the late Queen Elizabeth were a momentous event, marking not only 70 years of her reign as Britain’s longest-serving monarch but also her final appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

However, this iconic appearance almost didn’t happen. It was due to a last-minute intervention from King Charles, then-Prince of Wales, that the late Queen was convinced to make the traditional balcony appearance, which the Royal Family does each year at the end of Trooping the Colour, waving to the crowds below and watching the customary RAF flypast.

During the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the late Queen had been feeling under the weather and had cancelled some appearances. However, Charles’s intervention ensured her presence at the conclusion of the Jubilee parade and the festivities.

His motivation for persuading her to attend was deeply poignant. As reported at the time, Charles made a last-minute phone call to convince his mother to persevere despite her ill health and appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony one final time. His intervention was successful, and she appeared to the waiting crowds below, who had gathered to celebrate her lengthy reign, reports the Mirror.

Royal commentators gathered to reflect on a poignant chapter in Royal history for the Channel 5 documentary ‘Secret of the Royal Palaces’. They discussed the extensive efforts that went into the Jubilee celebrations, acknowledging the late Queen’s declining health and mobility which was largely kept out of the public eye.

The Queen’s final balcony appearance was highlighted as a significant moment, continuing a tradition she had been part of since her childhood in the 1920s, during the reigns of her grandfather and father.

One commentator disclosed Prince Charles’s deeply personal reason for encouraging his mother to make that appearance: he wanted her to see the depth of affection the public held for her after a lifetime of service. Royal expert Emily Andrews said, “She felt it was her duty to come to London, to acknowledge the crowds….But it wasn’t just about duty, it was about Charles wanting the queen to see how much she was loved. She always put duty above personal pain, above family, above personal sacrifice. Duty always comes first.”

Afua Acheampong-Hagan, another commentator and broadcaster, described the moment the Queen appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony, saying, “When the queen stepped out on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, looking absolutely resplendent in that green outfit, the crowds goes absolutely wild,” and noted, “The pinnacle of the Platinum Jubilee was seeing the Queen on that balcony and you could see the emotion written all over her face. I think she was so very, very glad that she managed to see her people if you will, one last time.”