It did not last long; they were here for less than 24 hours, but the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh showed that the royal couple do indeed share a bond with the people of Malta.

As happened two years ago when the Queen came to Malta for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the Maltese public lined the streets in Valletta waving miniature Union Jacks to welcome the royal couple.

The lightning visit coincided with the royal couple’s Diamond Anniversary, and fittingly, they met a number of couples, some who wed in 1947 – the same year they were wed, some in 1977 and some who are set to be married in the coming days.

The couples mingled with Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and his delightful wife Kate. Speaking to this newspaper after the event, all the couples said that they had never expected such an informal and friendly meeting with the Queen and the Duke.

Perhaps it is their way of thanking the people of this island for allowing them to lead an undisturbed life when they lived here for a two year period. The Queen herself had said that both she and her husband lived as any other Royal Navy couple did. They went to the pictures, strolled around Valletta hand in hand, and she could even head down to the shops without as much as a bat of an eyelid. It might be wishful thinking, but perhaps that feeling has stayed with the Queen as much as it has stayed with the people of Malta.

When she came two years ago, she stopped and chatted and greeted people in the streets and she did the same again this time. It is very, very clear that there is a special bond between the people of this country and the only British monarch to have ever celebrated a Diamond Wedding anniversary.

We should be proud and honoured to think that the couple celebrated it here in our country and in a very informal manner. Of course, the Queen is exactly that – a queen.

In the public eye monarchs do tend to be rather stiff - and they have to be, they carry the proverbial weight of the crown with them. But it has always been this way in Malta. When the Queen is in Malta she is relaxed, happy and very probably relieved to be in a friendly atmosphere. It has been 43 years since Malta gained Independence from the United Kingdom. Yes there were tensions and yes the politicians of the time probably caused a lot of headaches in London. But the Queen never let that affect her in her behaviour towards our people. To close, we thank the royal couple for their visit and we hope we gave them as much joy on their special day as they gave us by coming here to celebrate with us.

It has been 60 years of marriage, and like any other couple they have weathered their fair share of storms. We wish them all the best for the future and may we take the liberty to say that Queen Elizabeth II will always remain, to us, the carefree young Princess Elizabeth who lived among us in what have been termed the happiest days of their married life.