When I first booked my tickets to London in January, the Trooping of the Colours and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee were the furthest things from my mind.

Rather, it was a simple desire for normalcy and the chance to travel after two years of lockdowns that drove me to book a spontaneous trip to Scotland and England for my birthday.

I've always been fascinated by the royal family and Queen Elizabeth II. I was once asked if I could be anyone, who would I be, and I chose the Queen. Why? Because of her ability to keep a stiff upper lip in the face of any problem. And that's a quality I admire.

So when I realised I would still be in London on June 2, I knew I had to find a way to at least see the start of the celebrations. After all, the Queen's Platinum Jubilee is not something any of us are ever going to see again in our lifetimes.

So there I was, a young Aussie in London, trying my best, like everyone else, to get a fleeting glimpse of the royal family.

With tickets to the Trooping of the Colours long gone, I did what anyone else would do, I joined the jubilee celebrations on the streets.

While Green Park and St James's Park in London were at capacity, I joined the crowds gathered in Hyde Park to take advantage of the warm, sunny weather.

With picnic baskets in tow, groups gathered to celebrate the long weekend and of course the long reign of their beloved queen.

The excitement was palpable.

Honestly, it was hard not to get swept away in the moment, and I felt extremely grateful to witness this moment in history.

However, as I crammed onto the London tube to join the crowds, I noticed that barely anyone wore a mask - myself included.

You would be forgiven if you thought the recent footage of Platinum Jubilee was taken before the COVID-19 outbreak.

After two years of mask-wearing, COVID-19 restrictions in England have all but ceased to exist - or that's how it appears to an outsider.

Is it possible that for a short moment COVID-19 was forgotten amid patriotic celebrations?

Or is it that everyone has moved on and learnt to live with the virus?

I'm not sure if I can answer for everyone - but for me, my fear of missing out on witnessing history outweighed my COVID-19 concerns.

I'm home now, and the first thing I did was a rapid antigen test, where I tested negative.

While I didn't get to see the royal family in person or get tickets to see the Trooping of the Colours, or even get a good view, I did get to be a part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and that's something I will always remember.

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