China souvenirs to mark Queen’s reign

CHURCHES across Worcestershire are being encouraged to ring their bells on Wednesday, September 9, to mark the day when the Queen becomes the country’s longest reigning monarch.

“I encourage as much ringing as possible in the Diocese on that day and during the week as a mark of appreciation not only of the length of the Queen’s reign but of her magnificent Christian service throughout it. Long may she reign!” In his remarks, royal historian Hugo Vickers explained that “the queen won’t abdicate, she must not abdicate, there’s absolutely no reason for her to abdicate and indeed constitutionally and religiously she cannot abdicate: she is an anointed queen”.

According to the “The Guardian”, Buckingham Palace has calculated that Victoria reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes, taking into account 15 leap years, additional months and days.

Other images include Cecil Beaton’s 1953 official Coronation Day portrait, Julian Calder’s photo of the Queen amid the heather on the Balmoral estate dressed in the Order of the Thistle robes (2010) and a photograph of the Queen holding the reins of two of her white Highland ponies (2006). For one, neither of them expected to ascend the throne, and only did so as a result of deaths and abdications.

Princess Elizabeth became queen on February 6, 1952, at the age of 25 when her father, George VI, died while his eldest daughter was in Kenya.

The two Queens are also the only monarchs in a 1,000-year period of the British Monarchy, to celebrate their Diamond Jubilees whilst on the throne.