Queen marks Accession Day in Norfolk

The Queen is marking the anniversary of her accession to the throne privately on her Norfolk estate today.  She will reflect on the death of her father King George VI and the start of her reign 56 years ago.  The King died peacefully in his sleep at Sandringham early on the morning of February 6, 1952, after suffering from lung cancer.  The then Princess Elizabeth, aged 25, was at Sagana Hunting Lodge, Nyeri, in the foothills of Mount Kenya, with Prince Philip when the news of her father's death reached her.

George VI, a heavy smoker, survived a major operation to remove his left lung but later succumbed to a blood clot which caused a coronary thrombosis.  The then Prime Minister Winston Churchill broadcast a tribute on the radio on the evening of February 7 praising George VI for the “simple dignity of his life, his manly virtues, his sense of duty...his gay charm and happy nature''.

The Queen saw her father for the last time as he waved goodbye to her at London airport on January 31 1952 as she and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, embarked on the first stage of a Commonwealth tour.  The Queen's coronation took place on Tuesday June 2 1953 - over a year after her accession.

Royal gun salutes are fired around the country on Accession Day. A 41-gun salute will be performed by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Hyde Park and a 61-gun salute at Gun Wharf, the Tower of London, by the Honourable Artillery Company.

 The extra 20 guns signify the salute is fired from a Royal Palace.

By courtesy of EDP24