SIXTY YEARS ago, she was the girl who had become queen, in the words of the Manchester Guardian, as the paper was then known. Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth was the monarch of 60 years standing, at the head of an institution that is more popular now than it has been, perhaps, for decades.
At the Tower of London, military gun salutes marked her accession to the throne on February 6th, 1952, following the death from lung cancer of her much-beloved father, George VI.
However, the queen, enjoying a post-Christmas break at the royal estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, opted to be entertained by children from the Dersingham Infant and Nursery School near King’s Lynn. She had come to watch a play, performed by some of the school’s 130 children, on the changes that have been seen since her reign began – a period, she said, that had marked “great advances”.
The six- and seven-year-olds were debating the merits of Roald Dahl's Big Friendly Giantas she arrived. Three-year-old Isaac Minns proved to be a photographer's delight as he pulled faces with the queen standing behind him.
Before she left, Queen Elizabeth enjoyed the children’s concert which ended with the singing of the
Rocky Horror Show’s
Let’s Do The Time Warp Again
, whose lyrics talk of being in “a time slip” where “nothing can ever be the same”.
Dressed, said the experts, in an Angela Kelly-created turquoise, white and grey dress with matching coat and hat, and a diamond shell brooch inherited from her mother, the queen left for a more traditional regal greeting in King’s Lynn town hall.
There, mayor Colin Sampson told her: “Locally, your majesty has made a matchless contribution to our economy and brought enjoyment to many by inviting members of the public to share so much of your Sandringham home.
“West Norfolk residents are very appreciative of all that your majesty has done to support the area and your majesty has earned a very special place in their hearts.”
Locals and visitors happily offered support for the royals, but most particularly for the queen, with Londoner Janet Carter saying: “Her dedication to the nation is wonderful and she has been the perfect monarch.”