THE flags have been put away, the crash barriers dismantled, the roads re-opened. York has returned to normal after the visit of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. But while the crowds have gone, the happy memories remain.

The visit was a tremendous success. York looked at its best for the royal party, and the people turned out in force to demonstrate the affection they feel for the Queen.

York has always reserved a special welcome for Her Majesty. She arrived in 1977 on a tidal wave of euphoria inspired by her Silver Jubilee. Twelve years ago, she toured York Minster to commemorate its remarkable renewal.

Although yesterday's visit was the first by the Queen of the new Millennium, it did not carry such symbolic significance. Nevertheless, it was a true occasion.

People queued 15-deep to catch a glimpse of the royal party. That is testament to the devotion which the Queen inspires. She has earned the greatest admiration from her subjects through a near-flawless reign that is soon to enter its sixth decade.

The Queen clearly regarded her York visit not as a duty, but as a pleasure. She smiled her way around the city. Her walkabouts, endowed with an informality not witnessed on previous visits, thrilled the onlookers.

In this way the royal day was the perfect mix of the formal and the familiar. Its centrepiece was the Minster service to celebrate the Church's northern province in Millennium year.

By contrast, the Queen and Prince Philip later toured the dinosaur exhibits at the Yorkshire Museum. It is hard to imagine Buckingham Palace sanctioning a visit to such an attraction a decade or two ago.

The most memorable example of the new royal informality was when the Duke of Edinburgh encouraged children to come over the barriers so they could present the Queen with their flowers. These moments did not seem incongruous, however. Instead they only seemed to bring the people closer to their monarch.