The Royal family have released a new photo of the Queen with her Commonwealth Heads of State in 1964 as part of the ongoing 70-day picture countdown to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration weekend.
Today’s photo showcases a dinner party at Buckingham Palace with the Queen smiling as she was joined by Commonwealth Heads of State, including Prime Minister Robert Menzies of Australia, Donald Sangster of Jamaica and Milton Obote of Uganda
In the black and white image, Her Majesty can be seen standing with 18 head of government who were attending the 1964 Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference in London.
A throwback photo from 1964 shows the Queen smiling as she was joined by Commonwealth Heads of State, including Robert Menzies of Australia, Donald Sangster of Jamaica and Milton Obote of Uganda, for a dinner at Buckingham Palace in 1964
Her Majesty is Head of the Commonwealth, which has grown from 8 to 54 members in the last 70 years.
Explaining the countdown, the Royal family’s Instagram page reads: ‘Over the next 70 days, as we countdown to the #PlatinumJubilee Celebration Weekend, we’ll be sharing an image a day of The Queen – each representing a year of Her Majesty’s 70-year long reign.’
Each of the 70 photos represent a year of the monarch’s seven-decade reign, and each post also highlights a notable moment in history from the same year.
Today, the royal family paid tribute to Donald Campbell, who became the first man to break both the water and land speed records in the same year, reaching 403.1 mph on land in July and 276.33 mph on water in December 1964.
Fans on Instagram were quick to comment on the image and add heart emojis in a show of appreciation of the Queen and the Commonwealth
And it was also the year Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received his Nobel Prize.
The Queen marked 70 years on the throne on February 6, 2022, making her the longest reigning monarch in British history, and weekend of celebrations will be held from 2nd to 5th June to commemorate the milestone.
The royal family yesterday shared a historic black and white photo of her Majesty receiving a bouquet of flowers from Fijian Princess Adi Kaunilotuma during a royal tour to Fiji in 1963.
The caption for the image, which has garnered more than 50,000 likes, says: ‘The Queen receives a bouquet of flowers from Fijian Princess, Adi Kaunilotuma, during a visit to the country.’
The royal family shared an image of the Queen receiving a bouquet of flowers in Fiji in 1963 as part of a 70-photo countdown in the run-up to the Platinum Jubilee weekend
A further picture from the trip in February 1963 shows the Queen and her husband Prince Philip waving to crowds as they ride in an open top Land Rover
Different perspective: another image from the tour shows the same moment of the Queen being gifted the flowers by Adi Kaunilotuma, from a different angle
Speaking more generally about the year the snap was taken, it adds: ‘In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas.’
Royal fans were quick to post positive comments on the image. Many shared love heart emojis, while others commented on the Queen’s outfit.
The initiative, which kicked off towards the end of March, started aptly with a photo depicting the Queen’s coronation at Westminster Abbey, in 1953.
1963: This image shows Fijian children taking English lessons in the cooler ocean waters before the Queen arrives in the country for her visit
Well wishers took to Instagram to share positive comments on today’s photo shared by the royal family, with many posting love heart emojis
In the black and white image, Her Majesty can be seen seated on the Coronation Chair, wearing the St. Edward Crown and carrying the Sovereign’s Sceptre and Rod.
Other photos in the countdown include a 1961 snap of the royal and her husband Prince Philip meeting President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
An earlier snap, dating back to 1959, shows the Queen pictured with one of her red boxes, which contains the official documents and papers she receives daily from her private secretaries.
An earlier photo shared as part of the countdown to the Platinum Jubilee is this snap of the Queen and Prince Philip meeting John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961
Meanwhile, this 1959 snap shows the youthful monarch getting stuck into some of the official papers she is given daily by her private secretaries
The Queen, who ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, is the first British royal to reach the historic milestone.
The achievement will be marked with a four-day bank holiday weekend, from 2nd -5th June, which will include public events and community activities.
Currently, it is unclear to what extent the Queen will be able to take part in public celebrations, due to mobility issues which have curtailed her public appearances in recent weeks, and reports that she’s relying on a wheelchair.
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