Making history! Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee — 70 years to the day since she acceded to the British throne — on Sunday, February 6.
The royal, 95, makes history on Sunday when she becomes the first British monarch to ever mark a Platinum Jubilee. The milestone is meant to commemorate 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the realms and the Commonwealth. Elizabeth became queen on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI.
“Tomorrow, 6th February, marks the 70th anniversary of my Accession in 1952. It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign,” the sovereign wrote via a statement on Saturday, February 5. “As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service.”
She continued: “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.”
In her Accession Day message, she also paid tribute to her family and her late husband, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at age 99.
“I am fortunate to have had the steadfast and loving support of my family,” her statement continued. “I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my father’s reign.”
Royal expert Stewart Pearce told Us Weekly that the queen is “exhilarated” to reach the landmark, but the occasion is also bittersweet for her.
“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 author noted, adding that Elizabeth planned to spend the day at Sandringham with her family. “It will be a time of great memory for her.”
Pearce told Us that the queen would be enjoying “quiet time on Sunday” as well as “celebrating in memory of her late father and Prince Philip.” (Her husband of 73 years died in April 2021 at the age of 99.)
The entire royal family was not expected to attend the festivities, but Prince William and Duchess Kate were supposed to celebrate with his grandmother in person since they live “very close by,” Pearce noted. Their children, Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3, were set to join the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge too.
“[Elizabeth] loves being with the innocent ones,” Pearce told Us. “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.”
As she marks seven decades on the British throne, the queen is “very exhilarated by the extraordinary nature of the fact that this is the 70th year of her monarchy, of her reign,” the voice coach shared.
While Sunday is the official anniversary of Elizabeth’s accession, she has more plans in store for her Platinum Jubilee as the year goes on. The celebration will culminate in a four-day holiday weekend in June, allowing people throughout the U.K. to come together to mark the historic occasion. Events will include the Trooping the Color parade — which occurs annually in honor of the queen’s birthday — a live concert at Buckingham Palace and a service of Thanksgiving for her reign.
