On this day in 1953, Elizabeth II was formally crowned as The Queen of England at a ceremony held in Westminster Abbey.
Apparently it was a rainy day. Nonetheless, millions of fans stood and cheered outside in the pouring rain whilst 27-year-old Elizabeth and 30-year-old Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and her husband, journeyed along an eight kilometre procession route in a gilded horse-drawn carriage.
Those who did not leave their homes had the benefit of watching the coronation proceedings on television for the first time, as well as listening to it on the radio.
This year of course as everybody knows is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, in that she has been 60 years on the throne. Whilst today was her official coronation, Elizabeth had been considered Queen since her fathers death on the 6 February 1952.
Today, Queen Elizabeth is queen regnant of 16 sovereign states. At the start of her reign, 12 of these states were British colonies or dominions.
Of all other British monarchs, Queen Victoria is the only one to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
Festivities for the Diamond Jubilee scheduled for Australia include the Royal Australian Mint releasing a 50-cent commemoration coin, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, on the 4 June, lighting a beacon atop Parliament House, the renaming of a street in the parliamentary triangle in Canberra as Queen Elizabeth Terrace, the naming of a new Western Australia waterfront as Queen Elizabeth quay and possibly best of all, here in Queensland, we get a day off.
That's right! Beat that commemoration coin! We get a holiday, hah!
And on that note, may you live and reign for several years more your majesty!
For full proceedings and keeping up-to-date with all the action, just go to the official Jubilee website
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