With just hours to go until the 70th anniversary of her reign, The Queen has hosted a reception for community and volunteer groups at Sandringham House.
There was cake, music and plenty of smiles as representatives from local charities, Little Discoverers which supports children with movement issues and delayed development, and West Norfolk Befriending, which aims to reduce social isolation by matching elderly people with befrienders. They joined members of the Sandringham Women’s Institute at the reception. Those invited also included Sandringham Estate pensioners and their families.
The Queen was seen chatting happily with her guests who were treated to entertainment by the Hunstanton Concert Band as tea and cake was served. Among the tunes played was ‘Congratulations’ as a nod to The Queen’s approaching historic anniversary.
The Queen cuts a cake made to mark her Platinum Jubilee (i-Images/ Pool)
The Mayor of King’s Lynn, Harry Humphrey, presented The Queen with a Loyal Address and a Platinum Jubilee Mosaic which had been made for her by school children across West Norfolk.
Her Majesty also cut a cake, iced with her official Platinum Jubilee logo, and made by a local resident.
Among the guests was Angela Wood who, almost seven decades ago, helped create the original recipe for Coronation Chicken. She told The Queen about the work involved with the dish which has become a staple of British picnic baskets every summer.
The Queen with some of her guests at the reception held at Sandringham to mark her Platinum Jubilee (i-Images/ Pool)
The Queen was presented with a special posy to mark the occasion. Among the blooms in the bouquet were some that formed part of her Coronation bouquet in 1953, including lily of the valley.
The anniversary of the accession, February 6th, is expected to be spent quietly by The Queen at Sandringham. It was at the Norfolk house, in the early hours of February 6th 1952, that her father, King George VI, died in his sleep and his throne passed immediately to his daughter. Elizabeth II is the first British Monarch to mark a Platinum Jubilee. The main celebrations for her 70 year reign will take place in London in the first days of June 2022.
