Queen Elizabeth II makes history today as the first-ever British monarch to mark her Sapphire Jubilee, at Sandringham in Norfolk, the same place where her reign began 65 years ago after her father King George VI died in his sleep.
The Queen will mark the anniversary in private at Sandringham House in West Norfolk said Buckingham Palace.
Yesterday she attended morning service at West Newton Church on the Sandringham Estate, a reminder of her deep Christian faith which has sustained her over the past 65 years.
After the service, she presented prizes to 22 children from the Sandringham Group Sunday School, who had performed the play Jonah and the Whale during the service, which was led by Rector of Sandringham, Canon Jonathan Riviere.
The Queen has often referred to her Christian faith in her annual Christmas broadcasts to the nation.
In her 2014 address, she said: “For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.”
A special book was brought out last year to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday, which has been devoted to her people, called The Servant Queen – and the King she serves.
The short book uses the Queen’s own words to draw out the central role in her life of her trust in Jesus Christ. The book tells the story of a remarkable woman who became Queen at the age of 25 in February 1952 following the death of her father King George VI. She was crowned in June 1953 at Westminster Abbey.
During her 65 years on the throne she has been adviser and confidante to 13 British Prime Ministers, she is the most famous woman in the world and says that she prays every day.
In her 2002 Christmas broadcast, the Queen said: “I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings and to put my trust in God. I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.”
Copies of The Servant Queen and the King She Serves are available in packs of 10 at £1 a copy (plus p&p). Visit www.hopetogether.org.uk/thequeen
Read our previous story about Queen Elizabeth II
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