On February 6, 2012, His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex was in Lancashire to attend the opening of the Blackburn Youth Zone.  This £8million complex provides the local youth with:

…an extensive sport and fitness facilities, with a multitude of sporting classes and opportunities (including tennis, hockey, netball, unihock, cricket, dodgeball), a state-of-the-art gym and a rooftop kick pitch.

An exciting and varied arts programme includes an expansive dance studio, arts and music workshops, visual arts apparatus and accredited options.

 An informal and relaxed atmosphere with a range of indoor activities and a chill-out zone.

Afterward, the Earl attended the Young Presidents’ Chapter Dinner held at the Blackburn Youth Zone.

Source: Blackburnyz

Beginning on February 8, 2012, the famous Victoria and Albert Museum in London will première the highly anticipated exhibition entitled, Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration.

According to an official press release from the Victoria and Albert Museum:

The exhibition will present highlights of the V&A’s collection of Beaton’s royal photography, depicting The Queen over three decades in her roles as princess, monarch and mother. It will include a number of photographs never before seen, as well as excerpts from Beaton’s personal diaries and letters and broadcast footage.

Click here for more information about Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration.  If you happen to visit or live in and around London why not visit this special exhibition… it ends on April 22, 2012.  An article from Reuters about the exhibition.

Also, there is a new book by well-known British journalist, Andrew Marr, entitled, The Real Elizabeth.  According to an official press release:

Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne of the British monarchy on February 6, 1952 at the age of 25. Today, sixty years later, she is one of England’s longest-reigning monarchs and remains an enigma. In public, she confines herself to optimistic pieties and guarded smiles; in private, she is wry, funny, and an excellent mimic. Now, for the first time, one of Britain’s leading journalists and historians gets behind the mask and tells us the fascinating story of the Queen…

The Real Elizabeth is available now via Amazon, Barnes & Noble as well as other book shops.

Meanwhile, this evening on BBC One, Mr. Marr narrates the history of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in a new three-part documentary entitled, The Diamond Queen.  Click here for more information.

With many thanks to Amelia from the V&A Museum Press Office and Christine Choe from H.Holt and Co. for sending me the information and photos.   🙂

CNN’s Max Foster “…takes a look back at the 60-year reign…” and  life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee

On February 6, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II spent Accession Day in Norfolk “…to mark the start of her diamond jubilee celebrations.”  The Queen did a small walkabout outside of King’s Lynn Town Hall then visited the Dersingham Primary School where the local pupils performed a song and dance number to the delight of Her Majesty.

Click the links below to watch videos and to view photos from today’s event.

• VIDEOS (Scroll down to see two more clips)
• VIDEO
• VIDEO
• Gallery Two
• Gallery One

On February 6, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 60th anniversary on the British throne.  Recently, “two specially commissioned Diamond Jubilee photographs of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have been released…”  The images, shot by Mr John Swannell, were taken in the Centre Room at Buckingham Palace in December 2011.

Click here to view the photos. 

And, finally Her Majesty released a statement regarding her Diamond Jubilee:

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 Phillip over these years and to tell you how deeply moved we have been to receive so many kind messages about the Diamond Jubilee.

In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope that we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness, 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.

I hope also that this Jubilee year will be a time to give thanks for the great advances that have been made since 1952 and to look forward to the future with clear head and warm heart as we join together in our celebrations.

I send my sincere good wishes to you all.

ELIZABETH R.

SKY NEWS REPORT

Source: Royal.gov.uk

Photo courtesy of VAMUK

On February 5, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh attended church service in Sandringham where she was met by dozens of well-wishers.  Tomorrow, will be the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the British throne.

Click here to view photos.

There is a new exhibition on display at Windsor Castle regarding Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee entitled, The Queen: 60 Photographs for 60 Years.

Per the official site for the Royal Collections:

This exhibition celebrates Her Majesty’s 60 years as Sovereign, from the early years of her reign in the 1950s to the present day, through a wide-ranging selection of images, illustrating both key events in her remarkable life and more informal family occasions.

The majority of the photographs shown here have been generously presented by the photographers or agencies concerned, specifically for this display. Photographs of The Queen at Windsor are displayed in the centre of the gallery. These images present us with a portrait of The Queen, one of the most photographed women in the world, as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and Head of State, both at home in the United Kingdom and during some of her many travels around the British Commonwealth and the world at large. source

This special exhibition ends on October 28, 2012.  If you happen to live in the United Kingdom or plan on visiting the lovely country why not visit this exhibit.  You won’t be disappointed.   🙂  For more information please click here.

Source: The Royal Collections