God save the queen! Queen Elizabeth II is “exhilarated” as she marks her 70th year on the throne, royal expert Stewart Pearce exclusively tells Us Weekly.
The monarch, 95, succeeded to the British crown on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI. Seventy years later, Elizabeth is having a bittersweet celebration of her Platinum Jubilee on Sunday, February 6, per Pearce.
“This is an unusual time for her because she is about to remember [and] commemorate 70 years of her father’s departure. And she had a very, very close connection, a very close relationship with her father,” the Diana the Voice of Change author explains, noting that the queen will take in the occasion at Sandringham surrounded by loved ones. “It will be a time of great memory for her.”
Her majesty is “gathered by the younger members of the family, particularly of course, [Duchess] Kate and [Prince] William‘s children, whom she loves,” Pearce adds.
The monumental day will include “quiet time on Sunday, but at the same time, she’ll be celebrating in memory of her late father and Prince Philip,” the inspirational speaker tells Us, pointing out that the queen’s late husband Philip was an “extraordinary stalwart in her life.”
Happiness will also be in high supply as she kicks off her Platinum Jubilee year, according to Pearce, who notes that the “whole family” will most likely not be in attendance, but William, 39, and Kate, 40, who live “very close by” should be on site to toast the monarch.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to join the queen alongside their three children, Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3.
Her majesty “loves being with the innocent ones. She loves being with the children. It reminds her of those powerful motors that work through her, you know, the whole idea of heritage tradition and legacy,” Pearce tells Us.
Ultimately, Elizabeth is “very exhilarated by the extraordinary nature of the fact that this is the 70th year of her monarchy, of her reign,” he adds.
The queen is the longest reigning monarch in the world, which is why her Platinum Celebration will last more than one day. In January, Buckingham Palace announced a nation-wide cooking competition to create a Jubilee Pudding in honor of the occasion, which kicked off the official festivities.
Come June, there will be a four-day weekend packed with activities to officially mark the queen’s long reign. The annual Trooping the Colour parade on June 2 will start the bank holiday weekend. The event will end with a special Royal Air Force flyby that the royal family will watch from the balcony of Buckingham Palace — and that’s just day one of the celebration.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
