British Queen celebrates Diamond Jubilee - 60 years on throne

The U.K., and other parts of the world, are celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee today as Elizabeth the Second marks 60 years on the throne. She came to the job on Feb. 6, 1952 at the ripe old age of 25.

The Buckingham Palace website released a statement from Her Majesty and the 85-year-old Monarch thanked her subjects for their support. She is the second longest serving monarch in the history of England and the Commonwealth and the oldest to hold the crown. "Today, as I mark 60 years as your Queen, I am writing to thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given to me and Prince Philip over these years and to tell you how deeply moved we have been to receive so many kind messages about the Diamond Jubilee." Celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee The greater amount of celebrating will be over the spring and summer. In June there are multiple events, including an open air concert at Buckingham Palace, a thanksgiving service at the world renown St. Paul's Cathedral and 1,000 ships steaming down the Thames in a flotilla the likes of which will have never before been seen in the seagoing nation. Queen Victoria, who served from June 20, 1837 until her death on January 22, 1901, a total of 63 years and 216 days, was the longest serving monarch in the history of the U.K. It will take Elizabeth until late in 2015 to break her record. "In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we'll all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighborliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign and which my family and I look forward to seeing in many forms as we travel throughout the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth," she said. As part of her celebration on this day, she'll visit the children of an infant's school in King's Lynne, the village nearby her Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Children of the school have been rehearsing songs for the Queen.