Queen Elizabeth II Releases Gorgeous New Portrait In Honor Of Her Coronation Day

Jun 02, 2022 by apost team

On Feb. 6, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II added another year to her reign as Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 Commonwealth realms, making her the ruling monarch for 70 years and counting. In 2020, when she hit 68 years, she surpassed the 7th-century Mayan ruler Pakal the Great to become the fourth longest-serving monarch.

She's only bested by three other rulers including Louis XIV of France, Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, and Johann II of Liechtenstein. The longest reign stands at 72 years and 110 days, with many believing the Queen could make it to the top spot.

But that's not the only title she holds — she's already the longest-reigning British monarch, a feat she achieved in Sep. 2015. In fact, she's got titles aplenty — the longest-lived British monarch, the longest-reigning current monarch, and the world's longest-serving female head of state in history, among others. Elizabeth is truly an incredible woman and at 96 years old, it really looks like there's no stopping her.

Sadly, just shy of her 95th birthday she lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip. The couple was well-loved and even their seven-decade-long marriage held a title of its own — the longest marriage in the British monarchy!

They took the top spot after their 70th wedding anniversary in 2017, while the last one they celebrated was their 73rd in Nov. 2020. Their blissful marriage stood the test of time and there's no denying that the Queen already misses her late husband dearly.

As Elizabeth gears up to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, the celebrations of which begin on June 02, 2022, she is seen in good spirits. Joining her this week will be her entire family, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who are travelling from the US. 

The Queen has done something truly remarkable and historical – she is the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. According to Royal UK, she has been the reigning monarch for 70 years now, serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.

Her Majesty has already celebrated plenty of milestones over the course of her life and over the course of her time as queen. She is a mother of four: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. On top of that, she also has eight grandchildren – including Prince William and Harry – and 12 great-grandchildren – including Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Archie and Lilibet.

The palace has chosen to celebrate the Queen's long reign in June rather than February in the hope of better weather. The four-day bank holiday will begin Thursday, June 2, 2022. The Trooping of Colour is planned for that day and it is also the day the Platinum Jubilee beacons will be lit across the UK.

June 4, 2022, will be a busy day for the royal family as the Platinum Party will be held on the same day as Lilibet's birthday. The party will feature a concert from top artists. The royal family shared:

"The BBC will stage and broadcast a special live concert from Buckingham Palace that will bring together some of the world's biggest entertainment stars to celebrate the most significant and joyous moments from The Queen's seven-decade reign. Members of the public will be invited to apply to attend this special event and details of the ballot for UK residents to secure audience tickets will be released in February."

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Elizabeth's coronation happened on June 2, 1953. Her iconic white satin Coronation dress was designed by British fashion designer Norman Hartnell, and featured the embroidered emblems of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in gold and silver thread. 

Falling into six distinct parts, the Coronation includes the oath, the anointing, the investiture, which also includes the crowning, the enthronement and the homage. During this process the Queen is anointed with a special oil made of orange, roses, cinnamon, musk and ambergris. While the special anointing oil is made in larger batches to last more than one Coronation, a World War II bomb that struck in May 1941 hit the Deanery and destroyed the phial, therefore a new batch was made especially for Elizabeth's Coronation.

The event was broadcast on television by the BBC, marking a historic moment as the first Coronation to be televised. Since TV was such a recent invention, for many people it was the first time they had watched an event on TV. Out of the UK's population of 36 million people, 27 million tuned in to watch the ceremony, according to The Royal Household's website.

In honor of this very special day, the queen has released a gorgeous new portrait of herself, as well as a montage of videos that celebrates her extraordinary "life of service."

The caption to her portrait thanked everyone who has marked her joyous and historic Platinum Jubilee around the world, and she added,

"I know that many happy memories will be created at these festive occasions. I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last seventy years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm."

Did you know the Queen was the fourth longest-reigning monarch? What about her many other incredible record-breaking titles? If you learned something from this article then be sure to pass it on to those you know!