Queen Elizabeth Celebrates 69 Years as Monarch
For the Queen, it is not a day of celebration, as her Accession Day is also the anniversary of the death of her father, King George VI.
Queen Elizabeth reached a major milestone in her historic, record-breaking reign, as on Saturday, February 6, she marked 69 years since ascended to the throne.
Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya with Prince Philip when her father passed away in 1952; her coronation took place a year later, on June 2, 1953. She was 27 years old.
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Since 2015, Queen Elizabeth has been the longest-reigning monarch in British history when she surpassed the length of Queen Victoria's reign.
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Honoring the anniversary of her ascension to the British throne Westminster Abbey's Twitter account shared a stunning portrait of the Queen.
"Her Majesty The Queen acceded to the throne #onthisday in 1952. She is the longest-reigning monarch in British history, having been Queen for 69 years," the caption said. "This portrait of the Queen wearing her State dress and robe and standing in the Abbey is by Ralph Heimans."
The royal family's official Instagram account paid tribute to the monarch's anniversary by sharing a throwback video.
"#Onthisday in 1952, The Queen acceded to the throne on the death of her father King George VI. Her Majesty has now been Sovereign for 69 years," the caption explained. "?This clip is taken from Lord Wakehurst's film about the death of King George VI and The Queen's accession."
Queen Elizabeth typically spends her Accession Day privately at Sandringham, her royal estate in Norfolk, reflecting on the solemn occasion. This year, however, the Queen will spend the day at Windsor Castle, where she and Prince Philip have been isolating for the majority of the U.K. coronavirus lockdown.