On February 6, 1952, Queen Elizabeth II became the monarch of Great Britain upon the death of her father, George VI. This year marks the 60th year of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign as Queen of England, and the Queen is going to be marking her Diamond Jubilee in characteristic low-key fashion, visiting a couple of schools and attending a few special events in her honor. Her main celebrations will be in June, but today is the official day in which Elizabeth became Queen.
“I am writing to thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given to me and Prince Philip over these years and to tell you how deeply moved we have been to receive so many kind messages about the Diamond Jubilee,” read a statement issued by Queen Elizabeth to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee. “In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign and which my family and I look forward to seeing in many forms as we travel throughout the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth.”
Amazingly, Queen Elizabeth’s 60-year reign is the second-longest in British history. Queen Victoria reigned for over 63 years; Elizabeth needs only three more years to pass her predecessor’s record-setting period as queen. Of course, Queen Victoria didn’t have a fancy car or a fancy Facebook account, so give QE2 credit for keeping up with the times.
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