Overview

The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only Diamond Jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for the 60th anniversary of the 1837 accession of Queen Victoria. Following the tradition of the Queen's Silver and Golden Jubilees, commemorative events were held throughout the Commonwealth of Nations. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh toured the United Kingdom and other members of the Royal Family toured the rest of the Commonwealth as the monarch' representatives. The jubilee celebrations marked the beginning of the withdrawal of the Duke of Edinburgh from public life and a more prominent role for the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry in commonwealth affairs. Numerous events and tributes were held over the year and throughout the Commonwealth, culminating in a jubilee pageant held in London.