Queen Elizabeth II is marking 70 years on the throne. The 95-year-old is the longest-reigning monarch of the Commonwealth.
In her remarks on Saturday, the Queen made it clear she had “sincere wishes” that Prince Charles’ wife Camilla will be known as Queen Consort when Charles succeeds her to the throne.
Born in 1926 to Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Elizabeth had little chance of acceding the throne. She was home-schooled along with her sister Princess Margaret and at the age of 19, trained as a mechanic after she enlisted in the British Army during World War II. She served from 1945 to 1949, making her the first, and only, female member of the Royal Family to do so.
Her uncle, Edward VII, abdicated the throne in favour of her father after his marriage to American divorcee Wallis Simpson was denied by the Church of England. When that happened Elizabeth became heir presumptive.
Elizabeth married her distant cousin Philip Mountbatten in 1947. Philip was the former Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. The pair had four children, Charles Prince of Wales, Anne Princess Royal, Prince Andrew Duke of York, and Prince Edward Earl of Wessex. Prince Philip died in April 2021.
Her father, King George VI, died in 1952. She then ascended the throne at the age of 25.
In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the celebration of her Platinum Jubilee, “Seventy years ago today, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the Throne and became Queen of Canada. On this anniversary, I join millions of people in Canada and across the Commonwealth in congratulating Her Majesty on her Platinum Jubilee. This is the first time since Confederation that Canadians can celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of their Sovereign. This historic milestone invites us to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s lifetime of committed service to Canada, the Commonwealth, and its citizens.”