A royal milestone brought the usual confrontational clamour in the Commons to a halt as MPs sought to mix warm anecdotes with polished oratory.
Unsurprisingly this was an event hidebound by convention: MPs speaking on a motion asking the Commons to agree on a Humble Address to be presented to the Queen.
Only the 'Mother of Parliaments' could find such a complex way to wish the Queen a happy birthday.
David Cameron was in his avuncular comfort zone: flicking easily from personal reflection to placing the Queen on a historical timeline.
He dug out some statistics to support his claim that the Queen has led a "gentle evolution" in opening up the monarchy to scrutiny.
Most eye-catching was the assertion that Her Majesty had met a quarter of all the US Presidents since independence.
That provoked amazed headshakes from several backbenchers, cleverly conveying the span of her reign.
The job of the opposition leader at such events is harder, especially when that MP is an avowed republican.
"Today we're talking about a highly respected individual who is 90," he said.
"Whatever different views people across this country have about the institution, the vast majority share an opinion that Her Majesty has served this country and has overwhelming support with a clear sense of public service and public duty."
He even excited Twitter by suggesting the Queen could be an Arsenal supporter.
Corbyn is rarely praised for his comic timing, but he drew laughs when he said "She's seen off 12 prime ministers ..." and then stared across the dispatch box.
Even Mr Cameron chuckled.
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