Queen Elizabeth had a very special occasion to celebrate. The 93-year-old celebrated the 68th anniversary of being Britain's reigning monarch. It was on February 6, 1952, that then-25-year-old Elizabeth ascended the throne following the death of her father, King George VI.
Her status as longest-reigning British monarch is well established. She surpassed Queen Victoria's reign as of 2015, so every year just extends her record. There were some events around London to commemorate the Queen's reign, such as gun salutes at King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park and the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London. The bell also tolled in her honor at Westminster Abbey. There weren't any flashy public events featuring the Queen, however. Accession Day is usually marked by the Queen reflecting on times past at Sandringham.
Queen Elizabeth is just two years away from celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. The Platinum Jubilee would mark 70 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign.
February 6 marked Queen Elizabeth's 68th anniversary as Britain's reigning monarch. She ascended the throne in 1952 at 25 years old, following the death of her father, King George VI. King George died in his sleep at Sandringham at 56 years old.
Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour with Prince Philip at the time of her father's death. She didn't have a black outfit with her due to the sudden nature of his death. She had to wait for one to be brought to her on her plane before she could emerge from it as the new monarch while also mourning. She now makes it a point to travel with a black outfit and insists other members of the royal family do the same.
There are events in honor of Queen Elizabeth on this day, but she doesn't exactly celebrate. The Queen is still deeply affected by her father's premature death due to lung cancer because of how close they were.
"It’s important to understand that for the Queen this marks the anniversary of the day her father died," Dickie Arbiter, her former press secretary, told the Telegraph in 2017.
"She has always made it clear that her long reign is a consequence of her father’s early death and so it is not a day for celebration," he added. As a result, she often spends the day reflecting at Sandringham, a place that meant a lot to them both. It will always be a solemn day for her despite her many accomplishments during her long reign.
The day before, Queen Elizabeth had her late father on her mind. She appeared at the opening of the new Wolferton Pumping Station on the grounds of Sandringham. The royal family shared the moment on Twitter, along with a quote from George VI: "I have always been so happy here and I love the place."
While February 6 marks her accession, the Queen wasn't crowned on this day. The coronation was held on June 2, 1953. The ceremony couldn't be held until an appropriate mourning time for the previous monarch had been observed.
In the Queen's honor, gun salutes were fired by the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park and the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London. Because they are a Royal Park and a Royal Fortress, respectively, 41 shots were fired — 20 more than a standard 21-gun salute. The ceremony occurred at midday on Accession Day.
Bells also rang out in the Queen's honor at Westminster Abbey. The abbey is a very special location to Queen Elizabeth, who got married there and was later crowned Queen there. Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and Prince William and Kate Middleton were also married there.
Queen Elizabeth has seen many milestones during her reign. She has ruled for 24,837 days, passing her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Sapphire Jubilees. In two years, she will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. There's been speculation as to whether or not she'll wait for the milestone to pass before retiring, as she is rumored to be planning to do.
A whopping 14 prime ministers have served through Queen Elizabeth's reign. The first was Winston Churchill, whom she'd known from her father's reign. The longest-serving was the first-ever female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.
The Queen became the longest-reigning monarch as of 2015. Queen Elizabeth surpassed Queen Victoria's record of 63 years and 216 days, on September 9, 2015. There are some interesting parallels between the two women.
Both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria enjoyed love-based marriages rather than matches benefiting the monarchy. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert enjoyed a happy marriage from 1840 until his sudden death in 1861 at 42 years old. Both women have also enjoyed long and active monarchies.
Everyone's quite hopeful that the year is a good one for Queen Elizabeth. It's off to a rocky start, however. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's transition away from senior royal life and Prince Andrew's continued controversy and subsequent legal drama have dominated headlines. Despite this, everyone is forging ahead.
There has also been continued talk that the Queen wishes to join Prince Philip in retirement at some point. He spends most of his time at Sandringham, where he continues to enjoy his hobby of collecting original political and royal cartoons. As she spends more time there, too, many are wondering if she really does have an end point in sight.
