The Queen is to mark the 69th anniversary of her accession to the throne on February 6. While this is a record-breaking milestone, the monarch won’t make a fuss out of it and will spend the day quietly at Windsor Castle.
Royal commentator Rebecca English said the monarch is painfully aware she has only been able to achieve this record only following the untimely death of her father, King George VI.
Appearing on MailPlus, Ms English said: “Accession day is the day where the Queen sadly lost her beloved father King George VI, and she normally marks it quietly at Sandringham.
“Obviously, because of lockdown, she will be at Windsor this year with the Duke of Edinburgh.
“But clearly it will be nonetheless poignant to her.
“That’s really why she has never massively in favour of celebrating her own longevity on the throne because to achieve that someone very close to her died.
“It’s a very poignant day for her.”
King George VI died in his sleep from coronary thrombosis in 1952, aged only 56.
READ MORE: Meghan and Harry ‘reduced Palace staff to tears’ over Archie row
When her father died at Sandringham House, the Queen was travelling the Commonwealth as part of a whirlwind tour with Prince Philip.
Following King George VI’s death, the monarch gave a rare insight into her private emotions and feelings in a letter she penned to her private secretary.
She said: “It all seems so unbelievable still that my father is no longer here and it is only after some time has passed one begins to realise how much he is missed.”
DON’T MISS
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Queen did not travel to Sandringham in December to spend there her winter break as she has been doing since 1987.
When she travels to Norfolk for Christmas, the Queen usually resumes royal duties in early January.
However, she doesn’t immediately return to London, but remains at Sandringham until the anniversary of her father’s death.
But her missed trip to Sandringham implies that, for the first time in several decades, she won’t be there to pay tribute to her father.
Among the ways she has to honour King George VI’s memory, the Queen is believed to leave Christmas lights and decoration up until February 6.
The Queen became the longest-serving British sovereign on September 9 2015, when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
To date, the Queen has served on the throne for 68 years and 364 days.
Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne in June 1937 and retained power until her death in 1901, reigned for 63 years and 216 days.
While the Queen doesn’t mark the day of her accession to the throne, next year she will publicly celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, being an extraordinary and historical milestone for the UK.
To mark the monarch’s 70th year on the throne, the Government has created a four-day bank holiday.
Celebrations are expected to include parades and pageantry.
In a statement issued by Buckingham Palace last November, the Queen said the series of events planned will be an opportunity for her to “express her thanks” to the country.
