The British Queen Elizabeth II publicly shaked the hand of former IRA member and senior commander Martin McGuinness making this a historic moment in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Since it was announced last week that Queen Elizabeth would meet Martin McGuinness there had been intense speculation about how the encounter would play out — and how it would be recorded. It was only on Wednesday morning that Buckingham Palace confirmed the meeting — or at least a part of it — would be filmed. Cameras were not present for the initial encounter between the Queen and McGuinness, who is now Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, but a small number of media representatives were allowed to witness their farewells.

Even then, the handshake was not permitted to be broadcast live. Rolling news channels in the U.K. were forced to fill the image vacuum with endlessly-looped footage of the Queen looking at an art exhibit, as their correspondents attempted to describe a scene they had not yet been able to see. Finally, after an interminable delay, a handful of still images and 23 seconds of video were released to the world - on itv.com.

The fact that the queen wore green further accentuated the importance of the moment. It was an extraordinary moment in the history of Ireland and Britain in recent times.

There have been so many, Queen Elizabeth at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin; US President Bill Clinton on the Falls Road and Shankill Road; Ian Paisley pictured with Martin McGuinness as he agreed to share power. The symbolic value of the McGuinness/Queen Elizabeth handshake will occupy a major place in that pantheon of unique moments.