Monday, February 6, 2012

Queen Elizabeth Celebrates 60 years on the Throne

It has been sixty years on Monday that the Queen of England has held the throne. The celebration of this is called the Diamond Jubilee, which started on Monday and goes until June. It began with a 41- gun salute in Hyde Park in London, and then a 21- gun salute in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Queen is the oldest British monarch, but she is not the longest reigning one. Her great-great grandmother, Victoria was. Originally, Queen Elizabeth was not in line to get the throne. Her Uncle Edward advocated the throne to marry the American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, which allowed Elizabeth's father to become the King, and her the Queen when he passed away in 1952, when she was 25 years old. The Queen has no political power, but is a powerful figurehead and the Head of State for the sixteen countries that were once part of the British Empire.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/world/europe/uk-queen-diamond-jubilee/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

No comments: