The historic reign of Queen Elizabeth II saw many milestones. But perhaps one is the most important – not just of her reign but of modern British history. It is the moment of her accession.
On February 6th 1952, in the early hours, King George VI died in his sleep at Sandringham. No one knows the exact time he passed away. He was found, by a valet, at around 7.30 that morning and a message was immediately sent to Kenya where his heir, Elizabeth, was beginning a tour she had undertaken for her father who had been suffering from ill health for some time.
Prince Philip broke the news of her loss of her father to her and they immediately began to prepare to return home. Meanwhile, people across Britain woke to find themselves ruled by a Queen for the first time in half a century.
On February 7th 1952, Elizabeth II descended the steps of her plane at London Airport to be greeted by her Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. He had bade her farewell just days earlier when she was still a princess. Now, he led dignitaries as they welcomed her home as their new Monarch.
Elizabeth’s accession was proclaimed across her realms in the days that followed. It marked the start of the longest reign in British history.
