Gun Salutes in England and Scotland Mark Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Year
The monarch doesn't celebrate the anniversary of the date she became queen, known as Ascension Day, as it is also the anniversary of her father’s death
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Members of the Honourable Artillery Company fire a gun salute in front of Tower Bridge in London on Feb.7, 2022, to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne.
Gun salutes rang out in London and Edinburgh on Monday to mark the official start of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee year, as the 95-year-old monarch prepared for a busy season of public duties.
Britain's longest-serving monarch, Elizabeth became queen on the death of her father, King George VI, from lung cancer at age 56 on Feb. 6, 1952.
The monarch doesn't celebrate the anniversary of the date she became queen, known as Ascension Day, as it is also the anniversary of her father’s death.
In a statement released Saturday, the queen remembered the death of her father and recalled the seven decades of “extraordinary progress” that her reign has spanned.
The queen made clear she intended to continue as head of state, renewing the pledge she made on her 21st birthday to devote her entire life to the service of the U.K. and the Commonwealth.
She also sought to shore up the future of monarchy by saying it was her “sincere wish’’ that Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, should be known as “Queen Consort” when her son becomes king. With those words, Elizabeth sought to answer once and for all questions about the status of Camilla, who was initially shunned by fans of the late Princess Diana, Charles’ first wife.
While Sunday’s anniversary was low-key, public celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee are scheduled for June, when the weather is usually sunnier. The festivities will include a military parade, a day of horse-racing and neighborhood parties. There is also a competition to create a new dessert to be consumed over the jubilee weekend June 2-5.
The queen will mark a more somber milestone on March 29, when she attends a memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey. The queen's husband of 72 years died in April 2021 at the age of 99.
Queen Elizabeth II poses with one of her beloved pet corgis in this archival photo from March 1953. The British monarch, and by extension the rest of the royal family, are rarely seen without a corgi frolicking by their side during private and public sightings.
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Princess Elizabeth holds pet corgis Jane and Dookie at her London home on July 1936.
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Prince Charles of England plays with his favorite corgi, Sugar, on the grounds of the Royal Lodge at Windsor in this undated photo. Sugar is a direct descendant of Queen Elizabeth II's first corgi, Susan.
Queen Elizabeth II poses with Susan, her very first corgi, in this archival photo from March 1953. The British monarch, and by extension the rest of the royal family, are rarely seen without a corgi frolicking by their side during private and public sightings.
Britain's Prince Charles, left, and Princess Anne, right, as seen in a family snapshot as children with a pet corgi on Holkham Beach, Norfolk, in a 1957 photo released by Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth II smiles radiantly during a photo session in the salon at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, with a pet corgi by her side.
Queen Elizabeth II walks her pet corgis down the Cross Country course during the second day of the Windsor Horse Trials on May 17, 1980.
A royal corgi plays next to its mistress, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, as she celebrates her 87th birthday at Clarence House, London, England, on Aug. 4, 1987.
Princess Diana of Wales attends the Queen Mother's 88th birthday at Clarence House, London, royal corgi in tow, on Aug. 4 1988.
Queen Elizabeth II walks her dogs at Windsor Castle, on April 2, 1994, in Windsor, England.
The Queen Mother's pet corgis as seen at Clarence House in this undated photo.
The Queen Mother is surrounded by her staff, including her Lady-in-Waiting Angela Oswald and her butler, William Tallon, as she greets children at Clarence House for her 101st birthday. Like her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother is often seen with a pet corgi by her side.
Queen Elizabeth II meets the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team with the royal corgis in attendance at Buckingham Palace, London Tuesday Nov. 5, 2002.
Queen Elizabeth II's pet corgis greet a royal guest at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 6, 2002.
Queen Elizabeth II's corgis are taken for a walk as they pass President Barack Obama's car on the grounds of Buckingham Palace while he has an audience with the Queen on April 1, 2009, in London, England.
Queen Elizabeth II speaks with Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key at a audience held at Windsor Castle on Oct. 29, 2015, in Windsor, England. A pet corgi lies on the floor between them.
The queen is also scheduled to attend a string of in-person public engagements in the coming weeks, including audiences with politicians and diplomats, a diplomatic reception at Windsor on March 2 and the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 14.
It marks a step by the monarch to more public duties since she was told to rest by her doctors after spending a night in hospital for tests in October. She was forced to cancel appearances at several key events, including Remembrance Sunday services at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
