Most people at the age of 95 pack up and retire, but Queen Elizabeth II did the exact opposite as the world marked her platinum jubilee celebrating seventy years on the throne. In a statement released on Saturday – the eve of Ascension Day, the queen remembered the death of her father and recalled the seven decades of “extraordinary progress” that her reign has spanned.
Professor Chris Imafidon, from the front-row of the @TowerOfLondon during the firing of 62-gun Salute, which marks the official start of the Jubilee, reports the historic celebrations. Gun salutes mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year.
Gun salutes rang out in London and Edinburgh on Monday to mark the official start of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year, as the 95-year-old monarch prepared for a busy season of public duties.
Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Elizabeth became queen on the death of her father, King George VI, from lung cancer at age 56 on Feb. 6, 1952. The monarch doesn’t celebrate the anniversary of the date she became queen, known as Ascension Day, as it is also the anniversary of her father´s death.
AFRICAN VOW
The queen made clear she intended to continue as head of state, renewing the pledge she made on her 21st birthday to devote her entire life to the service of the U.K. and the Commonwealth.
IMAGE 1: – Fire shrouds the scene as The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire gun salutes to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in Green Park beside Buckingham Palace, London, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne on the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952.
IMAGE 2: Footage of @TowerOfLondon’s 62-Gun Salute Marks Queen’s Platinum Jubilee was credited to Professor Chris Imafidon by major news media, including Yahoo New, storyfull etc. – Credits to Professor Chris Imafidon. Gun salutes took place around the UK on February 7 to mark 70 years since Queen Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne in 1952. This video, recorded by Chris Imafidon, shows the gun salute outside the Tower of London. February 6 marked the queen’s platinum jubilee, but royal salutes are traditionally not performed on Sundays, according to the British Army.
MESSAGE OF MONARCH
In a statement the queen said, “As I look ahead with a sense of hope and optimism to the year of my Platinum Jubilee, I am reminded of how much we can be thankful for. These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress socially, technologically and culturally that have benefitted us all; and I am confident that the future will offer similar opportunities to us and especially to the younger generations in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth.”
The Queen will begin her Platinum Jubilee year with a series of major events as the country gears up for celebrations to honour the monarch’s 70-year reign.
After a period of concern for the Queen’s health she appeared relaxed and in good spirits during her weekend Sandringham reception and now sources have revealed she will attend high profile engagements in March.
The monarch is expected to be seen in public with the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the first time in months at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey on March 14.
Philip’s thanksgiving service on March 29 is likely to see large numbers of the royal family attending, alongside the duke’s friends, colleagues and representatives of organisations he supported – but central will be the Queen.
After the poignant image of the monarch sat distanced from other mourners due to Covid regulations during Philip’s funeral service, she will be surrounded by those who knew and loved her husband.
The prestigious diplomatic reception, with the dress code now suits and dresses rather then white-tie and gowns, will be hosted at Windsor Castle by the Queen in a few weeks on March 2.
Publicising details of these significant events in the Queen’s diary may indicate she is returning to the working practices she followed before her health scare of recent months.
But given the age of the 95-year-old monarch, who was ordered to undertake light duties after a night in hospital last autumn, it is likely the head of state will be still mindful of the advice.
A source said: “In addition, her majesty will be resuming her normal duties of audiences, credentials and privy council meetings, continuing to mix both virtual and in-person events.”
At the weekend, the Queen held her largest in-person public engagement since the autumn, welcoming members of the Sandringham community to her Norfolk home to celebrate the Jubilee.
She used a walking stick but looked well, moved freely and clearly enjoyed meeting former Sandringham estate workers, charity volunteers and colleagues from the Sandringham branch of the Women’s Institute.
The Queen had not been surrounded by so many guests since last October’s Windsor Castle evening reception for delegates who had attended the Government’s Global Investment Summit earlier that day.
A few days’ later concerns for the Queen’s health were raised after she pulled out of a trip to Northern Ireland and spent a night in hospital, she was ordered to rest by doctors who later advised her to carry out light duties.
Earlier, the Queen flew from Sandringham back to Windsor Castle where she has spent much of the pandemic.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations began with a bang, as gun salutes were fired across the country to mark her 70-year reign.
Events will be held over the coming year in honour of the Queen, who at the weekend renewed her 1947 pledge to the nation and Commonwealth “that my life will always be devoted to your service”.
At noon, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, named by the Queen’s father King George VI, 75 years ago, fired a 41-gun salute from London’s Green Park.
Then an hour later, the Honourable Artillery Company fired a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London – an extra 21 for the City of London.
Ceremonial volleys were fired a day after February 6, Accession Day, when Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II, as the anniversary fell on a Sunday.
Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, who as Brigade Major of the prestigious Household Division oversees the Army’s big ceremonial events, said: “For me this is the launch of the Platinum Jubilee, this is where it all starts for all of us and as a country.”
She enjoyed meeting former estate workers, charity volunteers and colleagues from the Sandringham branch of the Women’s Institute.
Earlier today [Monday, February 7], the Queen flew by helicopter back to Windsor Castle and on March 2 hopes to attend a diplomatic reception there.
Less than two weeks later she plans to be at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 14.
The date of the service of thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh has also been announced, March 29, which the Queen hopes to attend at Westminster Abbey.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated across the country during an extended June Bank Holiday in honour of a monarch who has left an indelible mark on the life of the nation.
ANOTHER…
But February 6, the date of the Queen’s accession to the throne, is a poignant period for the Queen, as it is the day her father King George VI died in 1952.
She is already the nation’s longest reigning monarch, and the longest still-serving sovereign in the world.
Her Majesty usually spends her Christmas holiday in Sandringham, but 2021 marked her second consecutive Christmas spent in Windsor Castle instead due to the coronavirus pandemic.
She travelled to the historic estate in Norfolk in late January instead and stayed in Prince Philips’ Wood Farm cottage on Sunday to observe her Platinum Jubilee, which falls on the same day as the anniversary of her father’s death. The Queen’s father, King George VI died on 6 February 1952.
Last Christmas was the royal family’s first without Philip, who died in April 2021. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will also be the first milestone in her reign that she will mark without her husband by her side.
As well as the service for the Duke, it is understood that the 95-year-old monarch will also attend a diplomatic reception at Windsor on 2 March and the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on 14 March.
She is also expected to be resuming her other duties, such as audiences, credentials and Privy Council meetings, which will be held in person and virtually.
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