The Standing Ovation No One Planned

On June 2, 2022, crowds gathered along the Mall in London for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee concert. As the final notes of the national anthem swelled, something unscripted happened. The applause didn't stay polite. It grew. It rolled backward through the crowd like a wave — past the barriers, past the screens, down the side streets — until an estimated one million people were clapping, stomping, and cheering in unison.…