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February 6th is the Diamond Jubilee anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne.
Sixty years ago, on the 6th February 1952, King George VI died and his daughter Elizabeth became Queen at the age of 25.
To celebrate the anniversary, a 41-gun salute will be held in Hyde Park in London today, followed by a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London.
Elizabeth's coronation (when she was crowned Queen) took place in Westminster Abbey on 2nd June 1953. The ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Representatives and citizens from countries around the world attended the ceremony, and many more people around the world listened to the ceremony on the radio and watched it on television.
The Queen is Head of State of the UK and 15 other Commonwealth countries.
The only other British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee anniversary was Queen Victoria in 1897.
The Queen's full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary and she was born on 21st April 1926. She is the elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Elizabeth had one sister, Princess Margaret, who was born in 1930.
Elizabeth married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. They have four children (Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward) and eight grandchildren.
Princess Elizabeth did not expect to become Queen. When her grandfather, King George V, died in 1936, his eldest son (Elizabeth's uncle) became King Edward VIII, but in that same year King Edward VIII decided to give up the throne in order to marry the woman he loved, Mrs Wallis Simpson.Mrs Wallis Simpson was divorced and at that time it was not legal for a King to marry someone who was divorced.
Diamond Jubilee Celebrations
The Diamond Jubilee Pageant
On the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th of May 2012, the Diamond Jubilee Pageant takes place in the the presence of the Queen in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Over 800 international performers and 500 horses will take part in the displays and performances.
Diamond Jubilee Weekend
The main celebration for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee will be the official Jubilee Weekend on the 2nd to 5th June.
On the 4th June thousands of beacons will be lit around the world to commemorate the Queen's 60 year reign. On the same day there will be a big concert at Buckingham Palace.
On Sunday 3rd June, neighbours across the UK will be getting together for The Big Jubilee Lunch. Neighbours will join each other for friendship, fun and of course, lunch 
Some people will have a simple lunch with their neighbours, others will join big street parties with food, music and decorations.
You can find lots of information about Queen Elizabeth II, plus up-to-date information about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, on this BBC page.
About Angela Boothroyd
I got married during the weekend of the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002. As we drove home the morning after the wedding, every village had flags and bunting flying, there were street parties going on all over the place and the sense of community was fantastic!
This year we’ll be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary and we’re looking forward to more of the same!!
Charles Conway recently posted..Lottery scam targets deaf community
Hi Charles,
Wonderful memories
I remember the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977 very well. Our street had a huge street party with tables in the street, music and decorations. There was a fabulous sense of community spirit about the whole thing.
I remember the street parties in 1977, as a kid they were great fun. Ten years ago there were not so many parties, in fact I found it rather sad. The Queen is an absolute asset to the UK, I don’t begrudge her anything, she’s given up her life to launch ships, smile politely and eat a lot of dinners with people she probably can’t stand. Not something I could do.
Congrats your Maj, may you have another 10 as well.
Sarah Arrow recently posted..Ebook: Blogging for business
Hi Sarah,
To dedicate your whole life to the service of others is quite remarkable.
I hope this anniversary is marked with many street parties – a show of the sort of community spirit and fun we saw in 1977 would cheer us all up, and benefit our communities too.
I love the Queen. I think she does a very important job, a great symbol, representing our country. I am quite sad that she has the constant put downs; does anyone really consider the job she is asked to do, every day? She does it for her country and I respect her for that.
I graduated from Uni in 2002 and will always remember that year, and the connection with the Golden Jubilee.
Anita recently posted..Snowdrop Birthday card
I agree, Anita. I think she does a fantastic job. She’s much-loved by many people and I imagine those people far outnumber those that don’t support her.