THE QUEEN'S Emotional Goodbye

As she celebrates 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II gathers her entire family together for one last time

- 

A crowd of tens of thousands of people roared with delight. Clad in vibrant green, Queen Elizabeth II made a surprise appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony on June 5 alongside the senior members of her family - Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, plus Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children - to signal the end of the festivities marking her 70th year on the throne. "She wasn't supposed to go because she hadn't been feeling well after the first day," a royals insider says of the 96-year-old monarch, who palace officials had said was experiencing "discomfort" following the Trooping the Colour parade on June 2. "But she couldn't miss this - it was her last chance to say thank you to her loyal subjects."

It was also a farewell of sorts. "The queen is taking a major step back from her royal duties," the palace source tells In Touch. "She wants to focus on spending this precious time with her family and preparing the next generation to carry on the monarchy." To that end, Her Majesty summoned her four children and their families to a special dinner at Windsor Castle over the weekend, says the source. "It was important for her to get everyone together for one final gathering while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were visiting from California, because who knows if she'll ever see them again?" The Sussexes had managed to avoid the senior members of the family for the entirety of their visit, "but they all agreed to put the drama aside, because it's always in the back of everyone's mind that it could be the last time they're with her," says the source. "It was an incredibly emotional evening and full of surprises."

CHILLY RECEPTION