Queen returns to Windsor after spending Accession Day at Sandringham
A gun salute rang out around Green Park, London, today to mark the Queen’s 70 years on the throne – as the monarch left Sandringham for Windsor.
Crowds gathered in the park to watch members of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire their cannons 41 times to mark the milestone. The standard royal salute is 21-guns but when the salute is given from a Royal Park, an extra 20 guns are added.
Meanwhile, the Queen, 95, combated the cold in a sophisticated green coat while sporting dainty sunglasses as she was driven in her Land Rover through her Norfolk estate, before being spotted in a helicopter on her way to Windsor.
The monarch had stayed in Prince Philips’s beloved Wood Farm cottage for the 70th anniversary of her father’s death, which also marked her Accession Day, on February 6.
The night before her milestone, the Queen ended years of uncertainty in an historic Platinum Jubilee statement by declaring it was her ‘sincere wish’ for the Duchess of Cornwall to be fully acknowledged as Queen consort when Charles takes the throne.
Charles and Camilla were ‘touched and honoured’ by her gesture, Clarence House said, while in a statement, the Prince of Wales added that he was ‘deeply conscious of the honour’ given to his ‘darling wife’ as he congratulated his mother on her 70-year reign.
A gun salute rang out around Green Park, London, today to mark the Queen’s 70 years on the throne (pictured above)
The Queen (pictured) appeared in good spirits today as she left Sandringham to return to Windsor Castle – after celebrating her platinum jubilee and requesting that Camilla becomes Queen consort when Prince Charles is made King
Wearing a set of elegant pearl earrings, the Queen donned a bright pop of lipstick as she was driven through the Norfolk estate.
She opted for a simple make-up look, with a touch of light foundation and a pink blush. Meanwhile she also donned a pair of tinted glasses for the outing.
It comes after the Daily Mail revealed that Prince Charles changed his coronation vows several years ago to include ‘Queen Camilla’ – with his mother’s blessing.
The insertion of his wife’s title was included as part of a general reworking of plans for the Westminster Abbey ceremony up to five years ago, a senior palace source said.
On Saturday, the Queen announced that the Duchess of Cornwall will become Queen Consort when her husband accedes to the throne.
Wearing a set of elegant pearl earrings, the Queen donned a bright pop of lipstick as she was driven through the Norfolk estate (pictured)
Members of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery prepare to fire a 41 gun salute in Green Park in central London to mark the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne
Members of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery perform a Royal Gun Salute in Green Park as crowds stand around to watch the action
The standard royal salute is 21-guns but when the salute is given from a Royal Park, an extra 20 guns are added. Pictured, members of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery fire a salute in Green Park
Members of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery arrive on horseback to fire a 41 gun salute in Green Park in central London
It can also be revealed that Camilla will have the Queen Mother’s priceless platinum and diamond crown placed on her head when Charles is made king. It was created for King George VI’s coronation in 1937.
Yesterday the Prince of Wales made clear his gratitude to the Queen for her support, saying that he and Camilla – who he described as his ‘darling wife’ – were ‘deeply conscious of the honour represented’ by his mother’s wish.
He marked the Queen’s historic Accession Day, heralding the start of her Platinum Jubilee year, by saying her ‘devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year’.
Buckingham Palace issued a glorious new photograph of the 95-year-old monarch – sitting in an armchair at Sandringham with her ever-present red despatch box of official papers – to mark her historic 70 years on the throne.
The monarch (pictured) had stayed in Prince Philips’s beloved Wood Farm cottage for the 70th anniversary of her father’s death, which also marked her Accession Day, on February 6
Her Majesty, 95, combated the cold in a sophisticated green coat while sporting dainty sunglasses as she was driven in her Land Rover through the Norfolk estate, before being spotted in a helicopter (pictured) on her way to Windsor
Her father, King George VI, died at the Norfolk residence on February 6, 1952, at the age of 56, leaving his elder daughter as Queen at the age of just 25.
In a highly significant announcement at the weekend, Her Majesty used her unprecedented milestone anniversary to express her desire for her daughter-in-law to be fully acknowledged when Charles succeeds her.
She wrote: ‘When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me, and it is my sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.’
The Queen has been photographed working from her red boxes in an image released on the day she passes the historic milestone of 70 years on the throne. The smiling 95-year-old monarch is pictured with her papers of state on a table in front of her and poignantly nearby is an image of her father King George VI
Prince Charles changed his coronation vows several years ago to include ‘Queen Camilla’ with his mother’s blessing (pictured: The Queen and Camilla in 2019)
Charles and Camilla pictured leaving St George’s Chapel, Windsor, following the blessing of their wedding in 2005