It’s been 68 years since Queen Elizabeth II, at just 25 years old, became Queen.
It had been a monumental but utterly heartbreaking moment, as it also marked the passing of her father, King George VI, who lost his battle to lung cancer.
The Royal Family’s official Twitter account marked the day with a video, showing the Queen attending her first engagement as a monarch.
“#Onthisday in 1952, The Queen acceded to the throne on the death of her father King George VI,” the tweet said.
“Her Majesty was in Kenya on an official Royal tour when she learnt that she had become Sovereign.”
And while its common knowledge that she had been in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour when she discovered the news, it’s now been revealed exactly what had happened in that moment, witnessed by Prince Philip’s cousin Lady Pamela Hicks, who had also been one of the couple’s bridesmaids.
“My mother remembered very clearly that when she heard the news, she paced up and down, up and down with Philip and the ladies-in-waiting and the private secretary,” Lady Pamela’s daughter India Hicks told People.
“Finally, when the Queen had gathered herself, she said, ‘I’m so sorry, but we are going to have to go back to England,'” India said.
“That was so indicative of the Queen that she would have apologised for something like that. They all said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.'”
India recalls her mother telling her that she’d then given Elizabeth a hug, before quickly remembering she was now her new Queen and dropped into a deep curtsey.
Lady Pamela herself also described the moment to People, previously saying it wasn’t until they touched down in England that the weight of it all sunk in.
“When we landed in England and seeing Winston Churchill and others drawn up on the tarmac, there was this sudden realisation that this was the end of her private life,” Lady Pamela said.
Elizabeth in Kenya, just hours before she was told of the death of her father. (Image: Getty)
The following year her coronation was held on June 2, 1953.
“By the sudden death of my dear father I am called to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty,” Queen Elizabeth said during her speech to the accession council.
“My heart is too full for me to say more to you today other than I shall always work as my father did throughout his reign, to advance the happiness and prosperity of my peoples, spread as they are all the world over.”
Queen Elizabeth II with her family on the Buckingham Palace balcony after her coronation. (Image: Getty)
While there are gun salutes each year held across the UK to mark the monumental occasion, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward, told The Sun in 2017: “The Prince of Wales and the rest of the family have never involved themselves in this anniversary.
“But they all respect the fact that the Queen likes to have this day to herself.”
