The Queen’s platinum jubilee is an unprecedented milestone in British history, with the nation geared up for the kind of mass celebrations that, in this country, has only ever witnessed at the end of world wars. Whether you’re a royalist or not, there is no doubt that her work ethic and sense of duty have been unwavering, which is to be applauded.
1. The Queen was born at 2.40 am on 21st April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London, and was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
2. Her Majesty’s first solo public engagement (as Princess Elizabeth) was on 21st April 1942, her sixteenth birthday, when – then Princess Elizabeth – she inspected the Grenadier Guards at Windsor Castle.
3. At least 35 countries have issued coinage with the image of The Queen.
4. On 9th September 2015, The Queen became the longest-reigning monarch in British history, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
5. The Queen has sent over 300,000 congratulatory cards to people celebrating their 100th birthdays, and over 900,000 messages to couples marking their Diamond (60th) Wedding Anniversaries.
6. Her Majesty has owned more than 30 Corgis and Dorgis during her reign. Most of which have descended from her first Corgi, Susan, who was gifted to her on her eighteenth birthday in 1944.
7. The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust has enabled over 100,000 people to have sight-saving surgery.
8. Almost 70 forest conservation projects across the Commonwealth have joined The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative. It launched in 2015 and now represents more than 100 million trees preserved for future generations as part of the fight against deforestation.
9. The Queen has sat for over 200 official portraits during her reign, the first was in 1933 when she was seven years old.
10. As part of the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, secret agent James Bond escorted The Queen from Buckingham Palace to the Olympic Stadium by helicopter before parachuting into the event.
You can too celebrate Her Majesty’s historic reign in the run-up to the Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend, from 2nd to 5th June. Information can be found at: https://platinumjubilee.gov.uk/
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