Seventy Sensational Years of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – As the nation mourns the passing of our late, great Queen Elizabeth II, now is the perfect time to look back over the incredible seventy-year reign of our beloved former sovereign and celebrate her many achievements with a deep sense of pride and gratitude.

HRH Queen Elizabeth II ruled the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for seven decades, presiding over a time of major change to her country and becoming a cherished figurehead and an important touchstone of security and inspiration to the whole of the United Kingdom and the world.

Let’s explore some of the most significant moments of her reign

Seventy Sensational Years of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

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The Coronation and First Twenty-Five Years

On Tuesday 23 June 1953 a 25-year-old Queen Elizabeth took part in her official coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey (50 Facts). It was the first to be ever broadcast on live television, and 27 million people in the United Kingdom tuned in to watch the momentous occasion, while a further 11 million listened on the radio. While Her Majesty had been Queen since the previous year after her father’s passing, this was the moment to officially celebrate and saw over 3 million people line the route towards Buckingham Palace for their chance to see their beautiful new Queen.

Her Majesty quickly settled into her role as Head of State and was acutely aware of the importance of remaining apolitical, but sometimes her actions made a very significant political statement indeed. On Thursday 27 May 1965, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021))  drove in an open off-road vehicle on the occasion of a parade of British Troops at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. The Queen and her husband spent a 10-day official visit in West Germany and were the first British royals to visit the country since 1913. The visit was also a poignant symbol of the 20-year anniversary of the Second World War and was a vital sign of reconciliation between Germany and the United Kingdom.

Sadly, some of the most significant moments in Queen Elizabeth’s reign were not without tragedy. On Friday 21 October 1966 an avalanche of mud and debris from a coal mine in the village of Aberfan hit a local school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The Queen chose not to visit immediately after the disaster, and this is believed to be one of her deepest lifelong regrets. Over the years she has since attended many memorial services and arranged visits to the area to pay her respects.

Ever the innovator, Queen Elizabeth II chose to break with a tradition that dated back centuries and took a casual stroll to greet crowds out to see her in person in 1970. This was unprecedented and took place during a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand with her husband and her daughter Princess Anne. This was the first time any royal had got up close and personal with the public, rather than waving from afar and it has now become a commonplace activity amongst the royals today.

Her Silver Jubilee

On Tuesday 7 June 1977 HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip rode in their resplendent golden stagecoach from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul’s Cathedral to start the national celebrations in her 25^th year as our much-loved monarch. The Queen evidently enjoyed the day, dressed in bold pink and wearing a hat with 25 individual fabric bells. She further asserted her claim on becoming queen that she would devote her life to serving the people as their monarch.

On Wednesday 29 July 1981, around 750 million people in over 70 countries across the world watched the magical moment when Her Majesty’s eldest son Prince Charles (now King Charles III) married Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The special occasion was declared the “wedding of the century”, with the prince and his new wife gaining an almost celebrity level of status in the weeks before their big day. Lady Diana captured the public’s hearts in a way that didn’t always show the royal family in the greatest light in years to come, but their fairy-tale wedding still holds a very significant place in the Queen’s reign.

In 1984, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative government agreed to return the sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. The date set for formal handover was Tuesday 1 July 1997. In 1986, Queen Elizabeth II took the opportunity to visit the Chinese mainland and was the first British monarch in history to visit to mainland China and toured famous sites, including the Xi’an terracotta warriors, the Great Wall in Beijing and other sites of cultural significance. The Queen’s visit was of huge diplomatic importance and coincided with the royal family’s acceptance of Hong Kong being returned to Chinese rule.

While most moments of the Queen’s reign were joyous or held political significance, her majesty also experienced her fair share of difficulties. This is most obvious in what she herself called her “Annus Horribilis” in a speech delivered to commemorate her 40^th year as queen. 1992 proved to be full of difficulties for Her Majesty as it saw the deterioration of Charles and Diana’s marriage, including their decision to separate. Her second son, Prince Andrew, also separated from his wife Sarah Ferguson and her daughter, Princess Anne, split from her husband Mark Phillips. As well as family turmoil, the royals also had to deal with the aftermath of the great fire at Windsor Castle.

The media regularly reported the Queen was not particularly fond of Lady Diana Spencer, however in the moment the nation needed her most, Queen Elizabeth II gave an honest, calm and respectful announcement about her former daughter-in-law’s untimely death. Public criticism of the royal family was reaching its height when Diana tragically died in a car accident in 1997. The Queen gave a public announcement to the grieving nation describing Diana as an “an exceptional and gifted human being”. Her ability to come out and accept the nation’s grief and greet mourners in London in person showed her stalwart nature, something we can all admire.

Her Golden Jubilee

Reaching her Golden Jubilee was a moment Queen Elizabeth was especially proud of and Her Majesty was the first British monarch since Queen Victoria to reach this magnificent milestone. Despite the huge tragedy of losing her mother and younger sister, Princess Margaret, in the same year; The Queen still toured the world to celebrate – travelling over 40,000 miles to visit Commonwealth nations, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Caribbean during her tour.

In May 2011, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the Republic of Ireland as guests of President Mary McAleese. The Queen had regularly made visits to Northern Ireland in the past but had never visited the Republic of Ireland. She was the first British monarch in over 100 years to visit the country, and her visit was a recognition of better relations and reduced tensions between the two nations.

A special appearance by Her Majesty endeared her to the nation, even more, when she played a fun cameo in the Olympics Opening Ceremony for London 2012! Her Majesty walked alongside celebrated actor Daniel Craig (aka James Bond) and chatted genially with him, referring to him as “Mr Bond” throughout. Daniel Craig claimed the Queen had improvised throughout the sketch, and even kept it a secret from her close family, making it even more fun and enjoyed by all.

In July 2013, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and his arrival was another hugely significant moment in The Queen’s reign and in history. Prince William and Kate’s son is next in the line of succession after his father King Charles III and very likely to be a future king. His birth also meant this was the first time since Queen Victoria’s reign that three generations of heirs to the British throne were all living at the same time. The Queen also made a significant change to how succession works in the future during this time by issuing a new Succession of the Crown Act.  This updated Royal Law and ensured children and grandchild of her firstborn son have equal rights to the throne regardless of gender. This means Princess Charlotte, her second great-grandchild of William and Kate, became third in line to the throne before her younger brother and other male relatives who would traditionally have been bumped up the list.

Queen Elizabeth and her beloved husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, were together in love for over 70 years and when Prince Philip sadly died at the age of 99 in April 2021, The Queen was left without her closest friend and confidant of so many decades. They met when Prince Philip was just 18, and they married in November 1947. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were always spotted together on their many royal visits around the world. Due to the devastating impact of Coronavirus Philip’s funeral on Saturday 17 April 2021 was only attended by 30 guests and a photograph of the queen sitting alone in St. George’s Chapel has become a symbol of the loneliness and grief both she and many others experienced during the pandemic.

Her Platinum Jubilee

February 2022 marked the beginning of celebrating the Queen’s incredible 70th year on the throne. Her Majesty was the first monarch in history ever to reach this feat, and the celebrations were a testament to this. On Thursday 2 June a huge pageant took place involving 1,400 troops, musicians and around 240 horses and the Queen was seen looking on from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Despite recently getting over COVID-19 herself, she was spotted smiling and enjoying the show, alongside her heirs The Fromer Prince Charles (Now King Charles III), Prince William, Prince George and the wider family. The same humor and sparkling personality were at play once again in the famous chat she had with Paddington Bear, in a pre-recorded sketch for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The clip saw Paddington sit down for a lunch of marmalade sandwiches with Her Majesty in Buckingham Palace and The Queen revealing her very own emergency sandwich from her famous handbag!

This endearing collaboration with Paddington has continued to bring great comfort to many following the Queen’s very sad death on Thursday 8 September, with many messages on social media using images and quotes featuring Her Majesty and Paddington.

The nation and the world thanks you Ma’am for seventy years of steadfast service and dedication to your people and to your country