It was ludicrous but also magnificent: the coronation stirred every emotion

As the soft drizzle in London gave way to a downpour, Charles was crowned king in Westminster Abbey, and the feeling came over many of us, if not all, that some things are the more marvellous for being a bit silly and unfathomable. No, republicans did not celebrate; they took their placards and their yellow T-shirts to Trafalgar Square, where their voices could (almost) be heard against a backdrop of marching bands and pealing bells.

Most of all, though, there was Penny Mordaunt, the Lord President of the Council. Mordaunt will probably never be prime minister now, but she has written her way into the history books with her extraordinary performance in the abbey, an hours-long show of strength easily worthy of a Targaryen or a Stark. Somewhere along the line, she dispensed with the notion of wearing the black and gold court dress of the privy council, commissioning instead a new and utterly regal outfit for herself, courtesy of Hand & Lock.

After the abbey, there was a procession a mile long. Four thousand members of the armed forces. Princess Anne on horseback. Charles and Camilla in their golden pumpkin. Precision that was unbelievable in a country where nothing works. Finally, a military salute in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Only at this point, all those uniforms ranged before him on the green baize of the lawn like so many toy soldiers, did the king smile, though this was preceded by a noticeable sigh, whether of awe, satisfaction, or relief, who knows.