There was nothing much happening on The Mall on Wednesday – not that you would have known it from the size of the crowds.

       Despite celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee not getting under way until Thursday, thousands gathered within view of Buckingham Palace to get a taste of the excitement.

       Many had decided to pitch their tents early, bagging a prime position at the barriers to get a front row seat at the biggest royal party in decades.

       Others had turned up for the day in the hope of seeing some of the preparations and were rewarded with the occasional glimpse of troops from the Household Cavalry and mounted Metropolitan Police officers making their way along The Mall.

       “I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” said Mary-Jane Willows, 68, who had travelled from Penzance in Cornwall early on Tuesday and defied torrential rain to spend the night in a tent as close to Buckingham Palace as she could get.

       She met up with Donna Werner, a fellow royal fan from Connecticut, US, whom she first befriended outside Westminster Abbey in 2011 at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

       “We both want to pay our respect to the Queen,” said Mrs Willows, a former charity chief executive. “Whatever problems the Royal family have had – and they’ve had problems like every other family – she has faced them with both determination and compassion, and people trust her. She has been steadfast, and we admire her for that.”

       Unlike her friend, Mrs Werner – who happens to celebrate her 70th birthday this year – was not brought up by parents with scrapbooks of the Royal family. But from across the Atlantic she has come to admire the Queen’s longevity, sense of duty and determination to unite the country at times of crisis.

       “You’re so lucky to have such a wonderful Queen,” she said. “She doesn’t divide people, she brings them together and she does it with grace. I can’t think of one US president I would want in charge for 70 years.”

       The pair will take it in turns to fetch snacks and takeaways to keep them going during their six-day vigil, not packing up until all the celebrations come to an end on Sunday.

       Surrounding them were hand-painted banners saluting the Queen, along with bags of provisions for the days ahead – though their tents could best be described as lightweight.

       “We almost got washed away last night. We’ve had thunder, lighting and heavy rain, with water running underneath us, but we’re still here,” said Mrs Willows. “We’re absolutely fine and we’ve made some lovely friends already – it’s that sort of event.”

       As police and stewards tried to marshal the crowds across designated crossing points – a handy dress rehearsal for the days ahead – the numbers on The Mall were swollen by groups of tourists and day trippers.

       One little boy could barely contain his excitement at seeing members of the Household Cavalry trotting past in full regalia.

       “There’s horses on the road!” shouted six-year-old Monty Browne, who explained that he had learnt two verses of the National Anthem at school in time for the celebrations. “I’m so excited because it’s the Queen’s jubilee,” he said.

       His mother Jasmine had brought Monty and his brother Henry, aged nine, down from Wells, Somerset, for the day to “witness history”.

       “I wouldn’t normally do this, but it’s probably the last chance my children will have to see an event like this held for the Queen and be able to say they were there,” said Ms Browne, 50, a secondary school teacher.

       “We’re close to the end of an era. The Queen has been such a huge part of our lives, and I wanted to pass that on to my children and give them something to remember for the rest of their lives.”

       Ms Browne, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Wells, added: “I’m not a huge monarchist, but like many I’m a huge admirer of the Queen because she embodies the qualities we should all aspire to. She is a constant, and once she has gone we will lose a certain sense of our national identity.”

       Two Italian punks – clad in the Sex Pistols’ ironic God Save the Queen iconography from 1977 – looked on in bemusement at the outpouring of enthusiasm in front of them.

       “We came by chance and we’re surprised there are so many people here already, before anything has even started,” said Stefano Bolognini, 28, a musician from Brescia.

       “Does everyone in England support the monarchy like this? We have a president of the republic who we can change regularly, so for us it’s quite amazing.”

       Patricia Walters, a retired auxiliary nurse, said she was worried about what might come next. “I’ve always loved the Queen, ever since I was young. She is fantastic. But I’ve struck half of the rest of the family off my list,” added the 79-year-old.

       “Charles shouldn’t be King, it should go to William, and Andrew is still there in the background even though he should have all his rights and privileges removed. The Royal family are supposed to be spotless, but they’re not.”

       Mrs Walters has spent a few days in London with her grandson Jack, aged 12, and her daughter Kelly Edwards, 45, taking in a few West End shows and stopping at Buckingham Palace before heading back to Swansea on Wednesday evening.

       Mrs Edwards, a psychiatric nurse, said: “It’s a great day to be here, even if the jubilee celebrations haven’t started yet. Just to see the Changing of the Guard is great and all these crowds make it even more fun.”

       A giant amphitheatre was being completed in front of Buckingham Palace for Saturday’s BBC Platinum Party at the Palace concert.

       Wrapped in a large Canadian flag, Bernadette Christie, a pensioner who had flown from Grande Prairie, Alberta, for a month-long holiday to coincide with the Jubilee, was revelling in her anticipation of the spectacle set to unfold iover the next few days.

       “Britain puts on a great show. This is like a golden ticket,” she said. “I love the Queen. She is so hard-working and loyal. She is a grandmother to all of us.”