December 9, 2012

Queen Elizabeth II attended her very first Cabinet meeting yesterday on a historic visit to Downing Street, the official place of residence of the British prime minister and the chancellor of the exchequer. The queen is believed to be  the first British monarch to attend a Cabinet meeting since 1781, when George III met his ministers during the American War of Independence. Her presence as an observer marked the official end of her Diamond Jubilee, the year-long celebration of  her 60 years on the throne. During those 60 years, she has had 12 prime ministers, beginning with Sir Winston Churchill.

After the queen and Prime Minister David Cameron adjoined  to the Foreign Office, the queen was informed that a part of Antarctica is to be named Queen Elizabeth Land in her honor. Queen Elizabeth Land is part of  the British Antarctic Territory, a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom. (Seven nations maintain claims on eight Antarctic territories.)

Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 60 years on the throne in 2012. (AP/Wide World)

Queen Elizabeth Land, a desolate area of vast mountain peaks and massive glaciers, covers 169,000 square miles (438,000 square kilometers), more than twice the size of the United Kingdom. Its coasts are inhabited by a profusion of wildlife, including great numbers of penguins and elephant seals.

Additional World Book articles:

• American Revolution
• The Queen Mother: Creator of the Modern Monarchy
• United Kingdom 1952 (a Back in Time article)
• United Kingdom 1953 (a Back in Time aticle)

June 1, 2012

Millions of people across the United Kingdom are preparing for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, a celebration of her 60 years on the throne. Elizabeth became queen when her father, King George VI, died in 1952. She has reigned longer than any other British monarch with the exception of her great-great grandmother, Victoria, who ruled from 1937 to 1901. Her diamond jubilee was celebrated in 1897.

The festivities include two national holidays, on June 4 and 5. The main events marking the Diamond Jubilee include a pageant on the Thames River on June 3. The pageant will feature a flotilla (a fleet of small ships) of 1,000 boats escorting the queen down the river. The queen’s party, aboard the royal barge, Spirit of Chartwell, will include her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, her son Prince Charles, and his sons, William and Harry.

On the night of June 3, a televised Diamond Jubilee concert will be performed in the Buckingham Palace park. Among other artists, Elton John, Tom Jones, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, and Stevie Wonder will perform. The concert will end with the lighting of more than 4,000 beacons around the world to mark the 60 years of the queen’s reign.

The celebration will culminate on June 5 with a national service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral. At the service, the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be joined by 57 members of the royal family, current and former prime ministers, senior military and religious figures, and dignitaries from around the world.

Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, waves to a joyous crowd in London in 2002 on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee, which marked the 50th anniversary of her reign. In 2012, she celebrates her Diamond Jubilee. (AP/Wide World)

The queen and members of the royal family will return to Buckingham Palace on June 5 in a carriage procession. She will travel in the open-topped 1902 State Landau carriage, used for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding procession in 2011. The procession will end with the queen making an appearance on the balcony at the palace as the Royal Air Force stages a jet fly over.

With millions of people expected to crowd into London for the events, train companies are adding extra cars to their London-bound trains to meet demand. Eurostar reports a 30-percent increase in bookings for the weekend. (Eurostar is the high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels through the tunnel under the English Channel.) Officials at Heathrow expect 410,000 people to pass through the airport over the weekend.

Retailers report amazing sales in anticipation of the celebration. Sales of picnic or party paper ware are up 182 percent at the grocery chain Sainsbury’s, which has also sold 364 miles (585 kilometers) of Union Jack flag bunting. (Bunting is long pieces of cloth having the colors and designs of a flag, used to decorate buildings and streets on holidays and special occasions.) The famous London luxury store Marks & Spencer (M&S) has sold more than 50,000 commemorative jubilee biscuit (cookie) tins and is expecting to sell nearly 10 million servings of strawberries. M&S has sold enough bunting to line London’s Mall– down which the carriage procession will travel–155 times.

Additional World Book articles:

• Royal family of the United Kingdom
• The Queen Mother: Creator of the Modern Monarchy (a special report)

March 20, 2012

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom continued the commemoration of her diamond jubilee with a speech before a rare joint session of both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall. The Queen is celebrating her 60-year reign, which began in 1952 upon the death of her father, George VI. The only other British monarch to have achieved a diamond jubilee was Elizabeth’s great-great-grandmother, Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901. Queen Elizabeth is the head of state of the United Kingdom as well as of 15 other countries that belong to the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Elizabeth II has been the queen of the United Kingdom and head of the Commonwealth of Nations since 1952. (Courtesy of AP/Wide Wide)

During her speech, the Queen promised to “rededicate” herself  to serving the United Kingdom and its people. She also particularly thanked her husband, Prince Philip, whom she married in 1947,  for being her “constant strength and guide.” Her speech was greeted with a standing ovation by hundreds of dignitaries, including Prime Minister David Cameron and other members of the Cabinet.

In honor of the occasion, the Queen was presented with a stained glass window featuring her Royal Arms. The window, which was designed by British artist John Reyntiens, is to be installed above the north door of Westminster Hall and is a gift from members of both Houses of Parliament.

Additional World Book articles:

• Kings and queens of the United Kingdom
• Royal Family of the United Kingdom
• United Kingdom, History of (The Victorian Age–1840′s-about 1900)

Feb. 6, 2012

The diamond jubilee celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years on the throne began with gun salutes around the United Kingdom, including a 41-gun salute in London’s Hyde Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London. Elizabeth ascended to the British throne on the death of her father, George VI, on Feb. 6, 1952. Queen Elizabeth is the head of state of the United Kingdom as well as 16 other countries, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, wave to a joyous crowd in London during the queen's Golden Jubilee, which marked the 50th anniversary of her reign. AP/Wide World

Elizabeth will be 86 years old on April 21. Her mother, Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, lived to be 101.

Queen Elizabeth II has reined longer than any other British monarch with the exception of her great-great-grandmother, Victoria, who ruled for 63 years, from 1837 to 1901. Victoria’s diamond jubilee was officially celebrated on June 22, 1897.  At the time, the British Empire was near its zenith, covering some 13 million square miles (33.7 million square kilometers), almost a quarter of Earth’s total land area. Victoria ruled over one-fifth of the world’s population.

Victoria was queen of the United Kingdom for 63 years. During her reign, often called the Victorian Age, the United Kingdom built a huge empire and became the world's richest country. Bridgeman/Art Resource

Additional World Book articles

• Kings and queens of  the United Kingdom
• Philip, Prince
• United Kingdom, history of (The Victorian Age–1840’s-about 1900)
• The Queen Mother: Creator of the Modern Monarchy (a special report)