The Queen of England celebrates the extraordinary anniversary with more fanfare than she would like herself – the date of the official assumption of the throne is February 6, 1952, the anniversary of the death of her father, King George VI. But, as she lets on, she doesn’t feel like celebrating that day.
In 2022, Elizabeth II (96) is the longest reigning monarch in her country’s long history.
There will be celebrations for four full days (June 2-5). The annual military parade, Trooping The Color, kicks off. Completely surprisingly, the Queen canceled participation in the birthday parade. This is unique in her 70-year reign. The reason for this is her inability to walk. And she doesn’t want to show any weakness and certainly doesn’t want to show up in a wheelchair.
She used to do an average of 430 appointments a year and was a patron of over 600 charitable organizations. She got her first portrait at the age of seven, and over the decades she has modeled for 141 artists. She herself collects drawings by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), which she presented to the public in the “Queen’s Gallery” in Buckingham Palace on the occasion of her 60th jubilee.
By the way, in the UK everyone is a “subject” of the Queen. According to a 12th-century tradition, all mute swans also belong to the sovereign. Swan Upping is the annual census of hatchlings on the Thames. Today this serves to protect species.
Elizabeth is one of the richest women in the world and is known for her thrift. She likes to lower the room temperature by four degrees in the palace and insists on hat pins so that none of her probably thousands of legendary models are lost.
Only one expensive passion is known to the public: they like to treat themselves to a glass of Dubonnet with gin. Then to your majesty, to your health!