Hang up your bunting, put the kettle on and grab your party hats — the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II start today.
No other monarch in British history has achieved 70 years of service.
The Queen, then aged 25, acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952 on the death of her father, King George VI.
She became the longest-reigning British monarch in 2015, beating the time spent on the throne by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years, seven months.
To celebrate the unprecedented anniversary, a number of events have taken place around the UK this year. It all culminates in a four-day national bank holiday weekend from Thursday, June 2 until Sunday, June 5, known as the Platinum Jubilee Weekend.
The weekend will feature a variety of public events and community activities, as well as “national moments of reflection” on the Queen’s seven decades as sovereign, according to the palace. The Queen’s private estates — including Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle — are also joining in with jubilee themed events.
The upcoming celebrations will be the Queen’s first jubilee without her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
