See How the Royal Family Celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation Anniversary

Published Jun 3, 2019

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12:51pm

Following a rousing week of garden parties, Queen Elizabeth celebrated a record-breaking milestone.

Yesterday, the 93-year-old queen celebrated the 66th anniversary of her coronation and the 67th anniversary of her reign as sovereign of the British Commonwealth.

That’s a long time, right? Well, Her Majesty actually became the longest-reigning British monarch in history in 2017 when she surpassed a record previously held by Queen Victoria who ruled for 63 years from 1837 to 1901. Now she’s the longest-running state leader in the history of the world. So it’s not only a super long time, it’s a record-breaking accomplishment.

To commemorate the occasion, the royal family shared a throwback photo on Instagram of the queen and her family on coronation day.

In the photo, Prince Philip looks at his wife with immense pride and their children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, appear to be somewhat confused. (Prince Andrew and Prince Edward weren’t yet born.)

“The Coronation of The Queen took place #OTD at Westminster Abbey in 1953. #DYK that Her Majesty is the 6th Queen to be crowned at @westminsterabbeylondon in her own right? Follow the link in our bio for 49 more facts about The Queen’s Coronation,” the caption read. (But what’s with those uncharacteristic hashtags? Interesting…)

Although Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, after the death of her father, she didn’t make it official until the following year. Her coronation, which marks the formal investiture of a king or queen with regal power, was held on June 2, 1953, and was the first to be televised. It was watched by 27 million people in the U.K. and millions more around the world.

What a magnificent 66 years it’s been, Queen Liz.

Lex Goodman

Cat mom, yogi, brunch enthusiast

Lex is an LA native who's deeply obsessed with picnics, Slim Aarons, rosé, Hollywood history and Joan Didion. She joined PureWow in early 2017.

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