Platinum looks back on Her Majesty’s reign

Our beloved monarch, Her Majesty The Queen…

Unwavering in her role as a monarch, and our reigning Queen for 70 devoted years, Her Majesty witnessed significant political and national events, and incredible changes in Great Britain, and around the world.

We look back over her reign with a sense of nostalgia. The decades have been punctuated with poignant milestones from her time as a young princess, to blossoming into the powerful Queen of our nation.

We take time to fondly reflect on her incredible life of duty, devotion, strength and determination.

A Queen-in-waiting…

George VI, who became King unexpectedly after the abdication of his brother, King Edward VII, died peacefully in his sleep at Sandringham, in February, 1952, age 56. He battled ill health for quite some time, after never fully recovering from a lung operation. Then-Princess and heiress presumptive, Elizabeth, was in Kenya with husband Prince Philip when news broke and she became the first Sovereign in more than 200 years to accede while abroad.

June 2, 1953

One year after the death of her father King George VI, a shy, 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth attended her Coronation at Westminster Abbey, where the ceremony has taken place for the past 900 years.  After a three-hour service, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland officially had a brand-new Queen Elizabeth II.

Feb 19, 1960 – March 10, 1964

Queen Elizabeth completed her family, giving birth to her third child, Prince Andrew in 1960, followed by her fourth, Prince Edward, at Buckingham Palace in 1964.

May 18, 1965

The Queen’s 10-day visit to the Federal Republic of Germany (or West Germany) was the first official visit there by a British royal since 1913. Her visit marked the 20-year anniversary of the end of World War II.

June 2, 1977

The Queen’s Silver Jubilee, celebrating 25 years on the throne with Commonwealth visits and a new public holiday for all.

July 29, 1981

Lady Diana Spencer stepped out at St Paul’s Cathedral with her father, Earl Spencer, to say ‘I do’ to Prince Charles, watched by 3,500 guests and a further 750 million people on television. The wedding took place just five months after their engagement with the Queen a vision of aquamarine beauty and happiness on her eldest son’s big day.

June 21, 1982

A future King is born. Although the Queen already had two other grandchildren, the birth of Prince William, born to Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, marked a new line of succession, putting baby Wills second in line to the throne after his father.

August 31, 1997

A heartbreaking time as news spread around the world that her former daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales, had died in a car crash in Paris. The Queen came in for much criticism in the aftermath due to family tensions prior to the accident and the Royal Family’s immediate response to the tragedy.

June 24, 2002

A golden celebration to close the previous times of darkness, this time Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee. To celebrate 50 years on the throne, she travelled more than 40,000 miles in 2002, including visits to the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. She also visited 70 cities and towns in 50 counties in the UK and Northern Ireland.

April 9, 2005

Charles wed Camilla but the Queen decided against attending, announcing that the bride would use the lesser title of HRH Princess Consort when her groom took the throne. However, this year the Queen confirmed the thawing of their once-tricky relationship, by announcing that her daughter-in-law can officially take on the title given to the wife of a reigning monarch and be known as Queen Camilla to his King Charles when the time comes.

April 21, 2007

Congratulations, Ma’am. Her Majesty officially became the oldest-ever reigning British monarch, overtaking a record set by her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria.

April 29, 2011

A ray of sunshine. The Queen beamed with pride at the marriage of grandson, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Brits were given a public holiday and celebratory street parties were held up and down the country. Kate borrowed her wedding day tiara, known as The Cartier Halo tiara, from The Queen.

July 27, 2012

“The name’s Majesty. Her Majesty.” The Queen had fun as part of the London 2012 Olympic celebrations, with a cameo role alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond for the opening ceremony. Her line “Good evening, Mr Bond” will go down in history.

July 22, 2013

The Queen’s first great grandchild! Prince George is third in line to the throne with his birth marking the first time since Victoria’s reign that three generations of direct heirs to the British throne were alive at the same time.

May 19, 2018

The Queen enjoyed her day at Prince Harry’s wedding, welcoming Meghan Markle into the fold. Fewer than two years later, Meghan and Harry ‘stepped back’ from being senior members of The Firm.

April 9, 2021

The end of the nation’s greatest love story. Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99, leaving the Queen devastated. With a broken heart, and the complications from a worldwide pandemic she had to sit alone at his funeral on April 17, 2021.

September 6, 2022

In a break from tradition, Her Majesty swore in new prime minister, Liz Truss, at her Balmoral estate – the 15^th prime minster that she had appointed during her reign. The Queen has traditionally appointed new prime ministers at Buckingham Palace in London, but due to mobility issues, stayed put in Scotland.

September 8, 2022

Our beloved Her Majesty the Queen sadly passed away at her Balmoral estate, peacefully and surrounded by family. Her tireless devotion to her role saw her lead an incredible life of duty, loyalty and love. The nation, and world, mourn the devastating loss with profound sadness, as we also embrace a time of change with a new reign for King Charles III, ready to take on ruling responsibilities.