WASHINGTON, D.C. (WUSA)--Great Britain has wrapped up its four days of pomp and pageantry marking Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.
That, as the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, remained hospitalized with a bladder infection.
But the tributes to the Queen haven't just been overseas.
Here in Washington, President Obama sent the Queen a message congratulating her for her 60 years on the throne. And ex-patriates living in the D.C. area hosted a celebration of their own.
"How could you not?" exclaimed a woman wearing a black and white fascinator.
Another woman wearing a mask depicting the Queen's face offered a royal wave.
"Because we're not in England, we have to celebrate somehow," said Chris Ryan, the Deputy Head of the British School of Washington.
"The Queen is here! The Queen is here!" chanted little school girls, who couldn't conceal their excitement over the Queen's 60 years on the British throne.
At a celebration brimming with British pride, school children displayed bouquets of flowers to honor the Queen. They will donate them to local retirement homes.
One guest remarked, "It's just a lovely occasion to make ourselves feel very much a part of what's going on back in London."
In London, three generations of royal family members took part in the pageantry. In today's economy, the estimated cost of supporting the Queen and her family appears to be a worthy investment.
"It's about a dollar per taxpayer over a year," said Philip Barton, the Deputy Ambassador of the British Embassy in Washington.
"I think they cost about 60 million dollars a year and they bring in something like 300 or 400 million dollars a year so you're getting a five for one return on your investment which sounds pretty good to me these days," he said.
"I think the way they hold themselves, the way they're ambassadors for the country, the tourism that they bring in really can't be assessed in a dollar amount. Because essentially that is England, that is the U.K.," explained Ryan.
With tributes on both sides of the Pond, we wondered who is more obsessed with the royal family? Brits or Americans?
"Having been here now for 12 years, I would definitely say the Americans are more obsessed," said Ryan.
And several royal watchers told us, behind the Queen's formal exterior is a down to earth woman, with a wicked sense of humor.
Editor's note:
Here's a royal trivia question, courtesy of the British Embassy:
How many states in the U.S. has the Queen visited during her 60-year reign? If you can answer that and more, I've posted a few on my Facebook page. To test your trivia skills, go to the link below and click 'like.'
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Andrea-McCarren/194926770517436
By the way, the answer is 13 states, plus the District of Columbia.
Written by Andrea McCarren
9 NEWS NOW & WUSA9.COM