Post date: Jun 04, 2013 12:40:17 PM
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II marks six decades of her reign at special service in Westminster Abbey.
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JUNE 4, 2013) (BBC EVENTS) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II went back to the scene of her Coronation sixty years ago for a special anniversary service at Wesminster Abbey on Tuesday (June 4).
Elizabeth was crowned while Winston Churchill - the prime minister who saw Britain through the Second World War - was back in office.Hers was the 38th coronation to take place at the Abbey, a tradition launched in 1066 by William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England.
"We gather to give thanks to Almighty God, for the faithful ministry and dutiful service the Queen continues to offer God and the people of this nation," said the Dean of Westminster Abbey, the Very Reverend John Hall.
Among the royals in the congregation was Prince Wiliam, the Duke of Cambridgeand his pregnant wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. It is the first time the couple have appeared publicly at the Abbey, where they married two years ago. Their baby is due in mid-July.
The coronation anniversary event sees Queen Elizabeth edging towards Queen Victoria's record as Britain's longest-serving monarch. Victoria died in 1901 after more than 63 years and seven months on the throne.