Celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II

On Wednesday September 9th at around 5.30pm, Queen Elizabeth II will have been on the throne for  63 years, seven months and two days making her the longest reigning monarch in British history.  On February 6, 1952 King George IV died and the then Princess Elizabeth became Queen and her coronation was on the 2nd June 1953 at Westminster Abbey when she was 27 years old.

I personally thought we would be celebrating this but apparently the Queen isn't making a big deal of the event out of respect for Queen Victoria, her great,great grandmother who her reign will now surpass and of course out of respect for her father, so I can understand.

The Queen will be spending the day opening the Scottish Borders railway in Edinburgh,  perhaps it will be just a quiet reflection upon her poignant place in the history books. 

Image source: Queen Elizabeth II symbol Shutterstock

Isn't it an amazing achievement though and history in the making. 

I have found a few ways that this momentous milestone is being celebrated across the country.

• The BBC have put together a documentary for the occasion:                                 The Queen's Longest Reign: Elizabeth and Victoria

• A special flotilla  of boats will sail down the River Thames from Tower Bridge at midday on the 9th.

• In Leicester, churches and the Cathedral will be peeling their bells in the evening from 5.30 - 7.30 and on the 10th Choral Evensong at Leicester Cathedral will respectfully commemorate the occasion. 

• A photographic exhibition at the Palace Holyrood House will open, Long to Reign Over Us is on until January 2016. It can also be seen at Windsor Castle and at Buckingham Palace until the end of the summer opening period. The exhibition will feature both official photographic portraits and informal moments. 

• A £20 coin will be produced by the Royal Mint, showing the five portraits of Queen Elizabeth II that have been used on coins over the 63 years.

• There will be a special Choral Evensong at St Paul's Cathedral on the 9th starting at 5pm. 16th century choral music will be among those sang, a piece written for Elizabeth I -  O Lord, Make Elizabeth Thy Servant by William Byrd and the Coronation anthem The King Shall Rejoice by Handel

• Buckingham Palace will host a family extravaganza at the Royal Mews on Saturday 12th September with arts and crafts, storytelling and tours.

• For children to learn and celebrate, here are some longest reigning monarch activities.

• Madame Tussauds have a special display on until September 30th, Memories of Her Majesty with the wax figure of the Queen created for the Diamond Jubilee, archive materials since 1928 and specially created dresses worn by previous figures of Queen Elizabeth II. A new dress of Swarovski crystals sewn onto a silk gown has been unveiled.

• For patriotic cakes, watching the Queen's Coronation, listening to music from 1952 and lots more, head to Totty Teas near Market Harborough.

• Bury St Edmunds are having a day of activities followed by a sunset parade at 6.30 with music by The Band of The Royal Engineers

• The Royal Yacht Britannia invite you aboard for a glass of Moët to celebrate.

• In Chester a 12 foot giant Queen Elizabeth II will meet a giant Queen Victoria.

• Many other churches and cathedrals across the country will be ringing their bells and/or hosting Evensong for the occasion so listen out into the late summer's evening - Chichester, Bath and Wells, Coventry, Ely, Worcester.....