Today (Saturday, February 6) marks the anniversary of King George VI’s death and the subsequent accession of Queen Elizabeth II. Every year, the Queen usually marks the sad anniversary of her father’s death at her Sandringham residence in Norfolk. However, this year the Queen will be spending the anniversary at Windsor Castle due to COVID-19.
How many years has the Queen been on the throne today?
Today marks 69 years exactly since then-Princess Elizabeth ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II.
On February 6, 1952, King George VI died at Sandringham, while Princess Elizabeth was on a royal tour in Kenya with Prince Philip.
King George VI was 56 when he died in his sleep, and he had suffered from lung cancer.
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The Queen was just 25 when she ascended the throne, and she and Prince Philip flew back to the UK immediately after hearing the sad news.
Every year the Queen privately marks the death of her father on this date, and for more than 30 years she has spent the anniversary of her father’s death at Sandringham.
Every Christmas the Queen traditionally visits Sandringham, where Prince Philip now resides full time since retiring, for the festive period.
The couple are joined by members of the Royal Family for the occasion, and the Queen usually stays in residence at Sandringham for a few weeks.
To mark the historic milestone, the UK will be given a four-day bank holiday, as Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 3 will both be bank holidays.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee will be a truly historic moment – and one that deserves a celebration to remember.
“We can all look forward to a special, four-day Jubilee weekend when we will put on a spectacular, once-in-a-generation show that mixes the best of British ceremonial splendour with cutting edge art and technology.
“It will bring the entire nation and the Commonwealth together in a fitting tribute to Her Majesty’s reign.”
