The Queen’s 70-year reign was longer than any other Monarch in British history, after she acceded to the throne aged just 25.
She died yesterday at her home in Balmoral aged 96.
The Queen was served by 15 UK Prime Ministers during her reign, beginning with Winston Churchill in 1952.
As Head of State, she also acted as diplomat and hostess, welcoming over 110 Presidents and Prime Ministers to the UK on official visits.
Her Majesty supported and encouraged achievement in many different ways through the The UK honours system which enabled her to confer titles such as MBEs, OBEs and CBEs on people from all walks of life in public recognition of their merit, service or bravery.
Recommendations were made by the Prime Minister’s Office, but it was The Queen (and members of the Royal Family working on her behalf) who presented tens of thousands of people with their insignia over the course of her reign.
“Some of them are very cleverly discovered,” she said. “That’s very important, that the system does discover people who do unsung things, that perhaps the local people know about but nobody else does, and that’s very satisfactory.”
There were also Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace, receptions and other awards given in her name. This allowed her to say ‘thank you’ to just some of those who had made a significant contribution to the life of the nation.
In 2014 The Queen’s Young Leaders programme was launched. The programme aimed to find exceptional young people who were addressing challenges facing their communities, and to support them in practical ways to ensure that they reached their full potential.
For most of her working life, The Queen was supported by The Duke of Edinburgh who accompanied her on visits in the UK and overseas, and was by her side for all of her ceremonial duties, from the State Opening of Parliament to State Visits and annual Remembrance events.
Her Majesty raised four children whilst undertaking her duties as Queen, later welcoming grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the Royal Family.
Main image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
