February 6 is a historic day for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, marking 70 years since she ascended the throne to eventually become the longest reigning monarch in British history. To mark the event, church leaders have been paying tribute to The Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has praised the Queen for her Christian Faith, saying she is a “symbol of stability and hope”. The Archbishop went on to invite Christians around the world to “continue to strengthen and guide” the Queen, and “bless her with continued health and wisdom”.
The Archbishop said: “Her Majesty The Queen’s seventy years of service as monarch have been a symbol of stability and hope throughout the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world.
“As we mark the anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne, we give thanks for her dedication to us all, and her faithful witness to Jesus Christ.”
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, made a personal tribute, praising the Queen for her ‘sense of duty” and commending her for her “duty and service” adding the importance of “knowing and doing what is right – especially those of us in public life”.
The Queen traditionally resides at her Sandringham estate on the anniversary of her ascension to the throne as it is here where her father, King George VI, died on the 6th February 1952. It is this royal residence that inspired Archbishop Stephen Cottrell’s Platinum Jubilee tribute.
He said: “A few years ago, I had the slightly scary, but hugely enjoyable, honour of staying with Her Majesty the Queen at Sandringham.
“On Sunday morning she went to church, as she always does. I preached the sermon, which was then discussed over lunch.
“We also talked about family. Hers and mine. And hobbies. For her, horses, a subject about which she knows a great deal and I knew very little indeed.
A bit of a one-sided conversation, that one! In the evening, after another lovely dinner, we watched television and did a jigsaw together.
“There were others there, too, but over the course of the weekend I had the privilege of beginning to get to know the Queen as a person and what matters to her and what makes her tick.
“This is what I found. First, like all of us, family matters. Friends matter. But also, faith matters and the values that flow from it”.
Westminster Abbey held a special service Evensong at 15:00 on Sunday led by Canon in Residence The Venerable Tricia Hillas.
The service included psalms, hymns and prayers The Queen and The Royal Family.
St.Paul’s Cathedral will be holding a special service of thanksgiving to commemorate the Queens Platinum Jubilee on the 3rd June 2022. The service will not be open to the public. Further events will be arranged and announced in due course.
