Queen Elizabeth II 60th Anniversary: Monarch Celebrates Milestone

Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she leaves the Sunday Service at West Newton Church on February 5, 2012 in West Newton. (Chris Jackson/AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II marked her Diamond Jubilee on Monday with a message thanking all those who had supported her over her 60-year reign and reaffirming her dedication to serving the British people.

The 85-year-old monarch ascended the throne when her father, George VI, died on Feb. 6, 1952. She is the longest-serving monarch after Queen Victoria, who reigned for more than 63 years.

Before a year's worth of festivities to celebrate her milestone, the queen said she and her husband have been "deeply moved" to receive so many kind messages about her Diamond Jubilee.

"I am writing to thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given to me and Prince Phillip over these years," she wrote in a message to the nation. "In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope that we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighborliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign."

The queen's Diamond Jubilee will be feted with a series of regional, national and international events throughout 2012.

Over the course of 2012, members of the royal family – including Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge – will fan out across the globe and travel to Commonwealth countries including Canada, Jamaica and Belize in honor of the queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The queen and Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, will stay closer to home, touring the U.K. from March to July.

The 2012 Diamond Jubilee weekend will be held from June 2-5, with the main highlight likely to be a huge pageant on the Thames river featuring a 1,000-strong flotilla.

Elizabeth expressed hope that the coming year will be a time to give thanks "for the great advances" since she took the throne and "look forward to the future with a clear head and warm heart."

Later Monday, the queen is slated to tour a nursery school and meet pupils there before watching a play about her 60 years as sovereign.

Comments

[ElCojonuo]

12:47 AM on 03/11/2012

And the brainwashed Anglophiles keep finding reasons for a country to have a Monarchy in the 21st. Century.
I guess they find such a backwardness ' quaint '.
There's no greater fool than that which wants to be one.

[Chris1000]

05:12 PM on 02/08/2012

How is it that in the HF guidelines, people can be called trolls, whatever that means, yet any comment posted with a similar name calling is removed? There is a word for it,.......

[Muhammad Waseem Abbasi]

09:15 AM on 02/08/2012

congretulation on the occasion of Diamond Jubilee ,may live long

[WelshV]

10:22 PM on 02/07/2012

WE IN GERMANY WANNA CELEBRATE WITH YOU AS A CONSTANT STAR FOR DEMOCRACY AND WISDOM.
GOD BLESS YOU AND ALL YOUR FAMILY MADAME.

[freddsky]

03:40 PM on 02/07/2012

No present this year, Your Majesty.
Expect a biggie for your Platinum (70 years, 2022!)

[Syni Cal]

03:02 PM on 02/07/2012

RT.com for intelligent debate for real issues and no censorship by HP halfwits.

[sean beamer]

02:36 PM on 02/07/2012

The worlds biggest social security receipient ? The world biggest handler of stolen goods? The worlds biggest hypocrit ? shall i go on?

[Watching rock grow]

04:05 PM on 02/07/2012

Let me add one for you, the biggest single contributor to the government’s budget through the Crown Trust while belonging to her is ran for and by the government. Out of it, she receives her Civil List payments.
“Every succeeding sovereign has renewed the arrangement made between George III and parliament. The practice has, since the nineteenth century, been recognized as "an integral part of the Constitution [which] would be difficult to abandon. Especially, as resuming control of the income from the Crown Estate, would cause the monarch to be liable for the cost of the civil government, civil and diplomatic services.” Unless the monarch simply resigned their position as monarch and settle into becoming just like everyone else. In which case, I guess you rather the people of the UK make that up.
Quote taken from subheading Crown Land in England: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Estate

By the way, I see HRH Prince William, the Duke doing just that as he enjoys his privacy.

[sean beamer]

11:21 AM on 02/08/2012

the crown trust is mostly wealth accumulated by the royalty from generations of generating wealth but no paying a single penny in taxes , whilst we have been made to scrimp and save to pay for her comfort and i am yet to be convinced that her status and expenses are payed through the income she generates from tourism..the castles and the show can go on without us having to subsidise it through taxes !

[sean beamer]

11:27 AM on 02/08/2012

what wrong with going republic. She can then earn and pay taxes like the rest of us- HM isnt a god created entity..she is imposed on us ! I see no reason why we cant treat her as a fellow human like everbody else...check out monaco , demark ,norway, etc etc they all seem to be doing ok !

[ideaville]

04:11 PM on 02/07/2012

Please don't, the spelling capacity of a 9 year old does not give you a great deal of credibility among English speakers. If however, English is not your native tongue and you ARE only 9, well done!

[sean beamer]

11:23 AM on 02/08/2012

hmmm i guess little shallow people think of little shallow points..in your case my mis-spelling was more relevant than the subject under discussion !

[pete cole]

11:04 AM on 02/07/2012

Pillock

[rosiebag]

11:11 AM on 02/07/2012

How true not many people can live that long, without doing something for themselves or others,

[ussuri]

11:48 AM on 02/07/2012

its easy when one is selfish beyond pale.

they stole enough to live in their parasite reality. and stupid think the royals deserve it.

[pete cole]

12:03 PM on 02/07/2012

None can

[DDL13]

09:17 AM on 02/07/2012

Congrats to the Queen....

[ussuri]

12:17 PM on 02/07/2012

on what? on living well from stolen goods?

[ideaville]

02:11 PM on 02/07/2012

C yoU Next Tuesday!

[Watching rock grow]

04:08 PM on 02/07/2012

Good luck with that timemachine and convincing William the Conqueror to change his understanding. I guess you never inherited land.

[moflard]

08:47 AM on 02/07/2012

At core I'm a republican, I don't believe one group of people should be bowed and scraped to because their ancestors were more successful at being mass murdering ruthless power hungry b's than mine. Which is ultimately the reason royals are royal.

However, given the alternative to the Queen is yet another politician purely out for their own gain I have to say that I MUCH prefer a Constitutional Monarchy. So congrats to Elizabeth II, she means one less politician, and that should count for something.

[ideaville]

12:01 PM on 02/07/2012

After a wobbly start, I like you lol.

[ideaville]

03:37 AM on 02/07/2012

Thank you again Huffington Post for not approving my comments in tribute to the Queen and making this into an American critique of our monarch.
I trust at some point I will be allowed to comment on Obama's multi million dollar holidays, his dubious lineage and that fact he still hasn't rebuilt New Orleans.

[Gina Neal]

11:44 AM on 02/07/2012

well put! I cant stand our president! he has distroyed this country and his last vacation was like 2 million dollars! Brad Pitt rebuilt New Orleans, been there, it still looks like a bomb went off, except the tourist areas......sad

[ideaville]

12:19 PM on 02/07/2012

Careful Gina, you're sounding like a "terrorist". You've got another 4 years to look forward to because he killed Osama, your fellow countrymen love a president that blows stuff up.

[ussuri]

12:11 PM on 02/07/2012

In America people can write what they want about the queenie.
if you can`t handle it get lost.

[ideaville]

01:04 PM on 02/07/2012

I'm not in America genius. Tell me, what's it like in your trailer park?

[splenetic]

11:09 PM on 02/06/2012

Get out of my heart Jesus, and let her Royal Majesty, the Queen of the United Kingdom of America in!

[obamathegreat235]

10:57 PM on 02/06/2012

It seems the Queen is amused about something in the picture with her wearing her beefeater style hat. Interesting.

[iDrifter]

11:30 PM on 02/06/2012

She is smiling at your description of her hat :)

[obamathegreat235]

12:45 AM on 02/07/2012

Precious!

[DSAldridge]

09:38 PM on 02/06/2012

She looks so much like her mother now. Bless her, she is the last of the true monarchs who truly dedicated their lives to the service of their country. I can't imagine what kind of king Charles will make. If we're all lucky, he won't ever get to the throne, and William will be the next king.

Have a lovely celebration, Queen Elizabeth. I hope you beat Victoria's record.

[sean beamer]

02:41 PM on 02/07/2012

service of the country?? really?/???? where?/ when? ..i could do her job for half the benefits..only I refuse to have a sex change !!

[pete cole]

03:20 PM on 02/07/2012

Sounds like you've already had one

[Syni Cal]

02:51 PM on 02/07/2012

She looks so much like her mother now.

I know what you mean, maggot eaten.

[DSAldridge]

05:35 PM on 02/07/2012

Trolls really amuse me.

[cuteliberalchick]

09:31 PM on 02/06/2012

oh boy milestone indeed.What? 60 years of living for free without working or getting any higher education?I love her jewelries though

[Pax333]

10:24 PM on 02/06/2012

cutie, you should check the schedule that she keeps, she works very hard indeed and as one of the richest women in the world she pays taxes and does not live free. The obligations of the royal family are huge and their liberties are far and few between, I don't envy them any of it.

[cuteliberalchick]

10:52 PM on 02/06/2012

pay taxes.This monarchy have benefited over the years and became rich by exploiting from all over the world.Tell me about obligations She pay taxes from the money she inherited she never worked a day in her life.She did not invent something to earn all that richness only through her lineage.

[splenetic]

11:03 PM on 02/06/2012

"Undress me and draw my bath, I've had a long day."

[ideaville]

03:05 AM on 02/07/2012

Sometimes it's better to say nothing and let people think you are stupid, than to say something and show them.