Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the faith, has a message for subjects who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games:

"Congratulations."

The queen, who was an unlikely star of the games' opening ceremony, says athletes from the U.K. and the Commonwealth — the successor organization to Britain's colonial empire — had performed admirably. In a statement, the 86-year-old monarch says the Olympians had "truly captured the public's imagination."

She also congratulated game organizers "as well as the thousands of volunteers who have epitomized the Olympic spirit through the warm welcome they have shown."

The queen delighted millions of Britons when she appeared in a brief movie during the Danny Boyle-directed opening ceremony.

In the film, she appeared to leap from a helicopter alongside James Bond, played by Daniel Craig.

No word on whether she plans to reprise the stunt tonight.

— Raphael Satter — Twitter http://raphae.li/twitter

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EDITOR'S NOTE — "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.