Queen Elizabeth’s 66 years on the throne was marked with a royal gun salute in London on Tuesday (06.02.18).
The 91-year-old monarch celebrated the anniversary of her accession to the throne quietly in Norfolk but there was also an official gun salute in Green Park in London.
The King’s Troop Horse Artillery made their way into the park at midday before firing their cannons whilst the Honourable Artillery Company did a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London at 1pm.
For Queen Elizabeth, the anniversary of her accession to the throne has never been much of a celebration for her as it reminds her of how she lost her father King George VI when he was just 56-years-old.
Royal historian Robert Lacey said previously: "She’s naturally shy and is the opposite of showy. And, of course, the anniversaries of the accession remind her of her father’s premature death. There is only so many of these landmark dates that people will want to mark. I’m sure she would rather people were asking why isn’t it being celebrated rather than, ‘Oh no, not another royal anniversary.’ She always plays safe – and that is a good instinct. The Queen is always wary of the commercial aspects, and doesn’t want to appear ‘on the make’ – though she doesn’t mind if charities use anniversaries to raise money. She’s got a well-developed sense of not wanting to exploit these royal anniversaries."
When Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Sapphire anniversary last year, the Royal Mint honoured the record-breaking reign with a series of commemorative coins.
One was a £5 coin, which has been designed by Glyn Davies, and he had made the decision to shift the crown around to make the Blue Sapphire stone visible.
Of his design, he said: "I drew inspiration from the regalia associated with the Queen’s coronation. As opposed to many traditional designs, I’ve rotated the crown to make a feature of the Stuart sapphire.
"I have also included a quotation from Her Majesty’s 21st birthday speech, which makes the design more personal. I used computer-aided design to create the inscription, but sculpted elements of the crown in clay."
The Royal Mint had also commissioned a £10 coin, £500 coin and £1,000 coin to mark the occasion.
Queen Elizabeth marks 66 years on the throne
