The decibel levels were pretty high already on The Mall – horns blowing, fans shouting and helicopters thumping overhead. 

But when the open-top bus finally crawls along behind the bobbing white hats and sliding trombones of the Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth, the 65,000-strong crowd goes completely bananas.

Screaming girls draped in England flags are hoisted on to shoulders. Women in full football kit clutch each other and yell. Middle-aged men jump up and down.

Who, somehow, after a gruelling tournament with an awful lot of extra time, two days of solid partying (with a short break for a Downing Street reception) a couple of 4am finishes and almost no sleep, are still at peak bounce. Jumping and dancing and punching the air.

There’s Chloe Kelly skipping and singing. Michelle Agyemang at the back. Captain Leah Williamson weeping. 

Coach Sarina Wiegman waving like a mad woman from the middle of the bus as someone shouts ‘Sarina for Prime Minister!’ And, of course, the great 140-cap veteran, Lucy Bronze.

‘Oh my God, she’s a bloody legend. She’s insane,’ says Sam Bottomley from Herne Bay, who is next to me in the crowd with her twin daughters Mia and Paige.

The decibel levels were already pretty high – but when the open-top bus finally crawled along The Mall, the 65,000-strong crowd went completely bananas

Party hard: Even after a gruelling tournament and non-stop celebrations, Lucy Bronze and Chloe Kelly showed they still had plenty of stamina left

Thousands turned out from hundreds of miles away to see the victorious Lionesses

‘All these male footballers rolling around on the floor with a bent back finger and she’s played the whole tournament with a broken tibia. That’s Proper England – resilience and teamwork – and what better influence for young girls?’

And boys, Sam! All of us, for that matter. Which, presumably, is why so many people came today. 

Some, from hundreds of miles away, arriving in the wee small hours to grab a front row seat.

And every hour since, thousands and thousands more, in a great wave of flags, football strips and excitement sweeping across London’s Royal parks. 

Mums and daughters, like Amelia and Kara, from Stevenage. ‘As soon as they won, I got my daughter to ring my boss and ask for the day off!’ says Amelia. ‘We had to be here.’

Grannies – ‘we’ve never really had a women’s sports team to support before’ says Helen, 68, from Winslow. 

Toddlers with smeary face paint. A dog called Winifred who’s watched every match at home in Brighton and, today, is dressed top to paw in football finery.

Silas, from Camden, who has an Abyssinian cat called Kanga snuggled around his neck wrapped in an England flag.

Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were spotted in the front of the crowds with their new daughter Athena and Edoardo’s son Wolfie 

Flags and mobile phones filled the sky, and everyone lurched forward for a glimpse of our returning champions on their victory parade

There is great excitement when Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are spotted in the front of the crowds with their new daughter Athena and Edoardo’s son Wolfie – though I somehow doubt they were putting up camping chairs at dawn.

Oh yes, and a chap called Tom from Cirencester, here in a sports jacket with his three young sons and nine-week-old baby girl – ‘I wanted her to witness a piece of history.’ 

Not just because the Lionesses have won again. And on penalties. But how they did it. How they help each other. Share the glory. The lack of fuss.

Which, according to Graham, a heavily tattooed Millwall fan from Bexley with the biggest flag here, is what it’s all about.

‘I used to follow the men’s, but it’s a bit boring now.

‘The women are more exciting because there’s no theatrics, they just get on with it.’ 

In fact, as we waited and waited for the parade, I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a friendly, warm, lovely crowd.

Some just want to say thank you. Others to pay homage.

Plenty to sing about: Coach Sarina and her favourite singer, Burna Boy entertained The Mall

All seem happy with even the slightest glimpse of our new champions.

Which is presumably why no one makes a fuss when the Lionesses finally reach the big stage in front of Buckingham Palace, and it turns out that the sound quality is disappointingly poor.

So rubbish that most of us can’t hear when Hannah Hampton tells the crowds never to give up on a dream if it makes you happy.

Or when 19-year-old student Michelle tells her team how much she loves them all.

But we can see the great Lucy Bronze looking daunting with a red and white Euro Champions scarf tied round her head and full skiing sunglasses.

‘Oh my God!’ says a lady near me on crutches. ‘I’ve got the same leg break as her; I’ve been on crutches for 12 weeks and she’s played an entire football tournament!’

And there’s coach Sarina dancing when her favourite singer, Burna Boy, comes on as a surprise and the whole of the Mall erupts into a giant disco.

And, oddly, we can suddenly all hear very loud and clear when Chloe Kelly laughs off the idea of feeling any stress – ‘Pressure! What pressure?’ – and sends TV presenter Alex Scott into a stricture when, in all the excitement, she tells us how very proud she is to be English and that it’s all ‘so f***ing special’.

But, again, nobody cares. Because she’s right – it is. It really is. 

And she did apologise very nicely afterwards.