The Bayeux Tapestry is one example of the depiction of historic events that I recall when contemplating the significance of the Diamond Jubilee flotilla. I am fascinated by historic paintings of special occasions. They are as old as human kind. Some are inaccurate, shaped by ego and politics. I’ve gazed at them in galleries, and imagined myself as one of bystanders witnessing the parade, or battle or crowning.

Live television enables my fantasy to come true. In my lifetime, I have witnessed a man walking on the moon, the state funeral of Winston Churchill, more than one Royal Wedding and the fall of the Berlin Wall – just to name a few.

This morning , I will be one of millions of faceless folk who will watch as a Royal flotilla sails the Thames, an event that echoes the pomp of centuries and the music of Handel. Eating scones and sipping tea, in my pyjamas, history will unfold before me in real time and high definition.