Queen Elizabeth marks 65 years on Britain's throne but she's not having a public celebration
Reuters
Queen Elizabeth, the world's longest-reigning living monarch, is celebrating her Sapphire Jubilee on Monday, commemorating 65 years since she took the British throne.
The public will be able to witness a 41-gun royal salute that will take place in central London to mark the occasion.
There will also be 89 horses to pull six First World War-era 13-pounder field guns in a nearby park.
Meanwhile, the public will be able to hear the Band of the Royal Artillery, which will be close to the firing positionof the guns.
Furthermore, at 1 p.m. GMT (8 a.m. ET) the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London will fire a 62-gun salute.
However, she will not be having a public celebration herself.
The Queen, 90, has cut back on international tours but still regularly performs official duties around Britain. In December she said she would reduce the number of her patronages, passing on her role at dozens of charities, academic institutions and sporting groups to other members of the royal family.
Her office said she will spend the day privately at her residence in Sandringham, eastern England, as usual.
The Queen has previously been very humble about the length of her reign. In 2015, when she became the longest-reigning monarch in British history, she said the royal record was "not one to which I have ever aspired."
"Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones. My own is no exception."
The queen's office released a 2014 portrait showing her wearing a suite of sapphire jewelry she received from King George VI as a wedding gift in 1947:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/828505279285309440
Today marks 65 years since Her Majesty The Queen acceded to the throne #SapphireJubilee pic.twitter.com/jTxFLeLdq9