On 6th February, 1952 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ascended the Throne. Sixty years later she is our second-longest reigning Monarch, approaching Queen Victoria’s 63 years and 216 days. The Queen has reigned throughout the tenures of 12 Prime Ministers, over a United Kingdom which has undergone great changes, social, political and economic . She has been a reassuringly constant presence in a British Nation which has witnessed the Post War Era, the Cold War, UK membership of the European Union, and the development of the Commonwealth from the Empire..
Diamond Jubilee: 21-gun salute at Hillsborough
The royal family’s official residence in County Down was the venue for one of the main Diamond Jubilee events in Northern Ireland this weekend.
As preparations to mark 60 years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign got under way in London with the Epsom Derby, Hillsborough Castle was the focal point in Northern Ireland today
The Secretary of State greeted hundreds of guests and a 21-gun Royal Salute marked the anniversary of the coronation. A fly-past also took place at Hillsborough fort and Diamond Jubilee medals have been handed out to serving members of the armed forces and the emergency services.
A parachute display took place later ahead of a celebratory lunch at the castle.
The Mayor of Lisburn, my friend and colleague William Leathem, and the Lord Lieutenant of County Down then inspected the troops on parade, and there was a performance by the band of The Royal Irish Regiment.
The Queen: The Diamond Jubilee
A lavish celebration of a major royal milestone.
Queen Elizabeth has become a regal icon, remarkable for her coolness and poise. She is a personification of both the majesty and mystery of the monarchy.
The Queen is a constitutional monarch; day-to-day power is exercised by the democratically elected government, and the Queen must be seen to be politically impartial. She symbolises the
permanence and stability of the nation, removed from the
ebb and flow of party politics.
As a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she has upheld and asserted her family
values throughout her reign. Despite the relative formality of her public persona, the Queen is an excellent conversationalist, an accomplished mimic and a keen, and humorous, observer of human foibles.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Message
The Queen has grown into maturity as a reigning monarch, juggling private and public duties and commitments…
The Queen’s life has been lived on camera, from state pomp and pageantry to overseas visits…
The Queen may be a national figurehead but she is also a pivotal figure within her own extended family…
The Queen’s unique sense of style is instantly recognisable, and admired, the world over.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is celebrated this weekend with a spectacular Thames Pageant, the lighting of 2,012 beacons, a star-studded concert and a spectacular carriage procession.
Celebrate a major royal milestone…