Queen Elizabeth won’t be celebrating her Sapphire Anniversary.
The 90-year-old royal will be marking 65 years on the throne quietly as it only serves as a "reminder" of her father King George VI’s death at the age of 56.
Royal historian Robert Lacey told People magazine: "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."
However, the Royal Mint will be honouring the monarch’s record-breaking reign with a series of commemorative coins.
One is a £5 coin, which has been designed by Glyn Davies, and he has 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 has also commissioned a £10 coin, £500 coin and £1,000 coin to mark the occasion.
Queen Elizabeth won’t be celebrating Sapphire Anniversary
