Elizabeth II British Queen's 70th Anniversary of Accession Marked by Modest Celebration

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is cutting a celebration cake at Sandringham Estate on the 5th (local time), one day before her 70th anniversary of accession.
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom held a modest commemorative event, including cutting a cake, to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

The Queen met with representatives of local volunteer groups, pensioners, and members of women's organizations at Sandringham Estate on the 5th (local time), a day before the 70th anniversary of her accession, according to reports from the BBC and Sky News.

On this day, the Queen attended her first relatively large-scale external face-to-face event in over three months since the global investment summit hosted at Windsor Castle on October 19 last year. At the investment summit reception in October last year, the Queen stood for about an hour without a cane and met with John Kerry, the U.S. climate envoy, Bill Gates, and others. The next day, she was hospitalized for one day at a hospital in central London. Medical staff recommended rest, and since then, the Queen did not attend face-to-face events such as the reception for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) held in Glasgow. She also missed the veterans' memorial event in November last year due to a back strain and canceled the family Christmas lunch due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

The Associated Press reported that the Queen, attending a face-to-face event for the first time in three months, appeared to move freely despite recent health concerns, and the cane seemed to be used more for support while standing rather than walking.

The official 70th anniversary (Platinum Jubilee) celebrations will be held extensively during the holiday from June 2 to 5. Various celebratory events such as street parties, military parades, and pop concerts are scheduled. On the 7th, fireworks will be launched across London to mark the start of this year's celebrations.

The British royal family released a video commemorating the 70th anniversary, showing the Queen looking at gifts from past ceremonies, including children's drawings from 20 years ago and a fan received by Queen Victoria in 1887.

The Queen ascended to the British throne earlier than expected on February 6, 1952, following the death of King George VI. The British people warmly welcomed the young and beautiful 25-year-old Queen with two young children.

Elizabeth II had little chance of ascending the throne at birth, but her fate changed when her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated. She is the first British monarch to reign for over 70 years, and globally, only a few others have surpassed this, including Louis XIV of France, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, and Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein. She is currently the longest-reigning monarch.

During her long reign, the Queen witnessed significant social, economic, and political changes, including the end of the British Empire. She met 14 British prime ministers from Winston Churchill onward and historical figures such as Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union and Mao Zedong of China. She met with 14 U.S. presidents from Harry Truman to Joe Biden, except for Lyndon Johnson.

She was married to Prince Philip for over 70 years without major issues; Prince Philip passed away in April last year. Since late January, the Queen has been staying at Sandringham, where Prince Philip enjoyed spending time.

However, the Queen faced difficulties regarding her children. Recently, her grandson Prince Harry left the royal family, and his wife Meghan Markle claimed to have experienced racial discrimination. Her son Prince Andrew was sued over allegations of sexual assault of a minor. The Queen had to make the painful decision to strip her beloved son Prince Andrew of his military titles and royal patronages.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.