Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 2, 2022 / 06:21 am
Pope Francis sent a congratulatory message to Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday coinciding with the United Kingdom’s joyous celebration of the 70th anniversary of her reign.
“On this joyful occasion of your Majesty’s birthday, and as you celebrate this Platinum Jubilee year, I send cordial greetings and good wishes, together with the renewed assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will bestow upon you, the members of the Royal Family and all the people of the nation blessings of unity, prosperity and peace," the pope said in a telegram to the queen.
Queen Elizabeth, who turned 96 on April 21, is England’s longest serving monarch, having ascended to the throne in 1952 at age 25 after the death of her father, King George VI. Her coronation took place the following year, on June 2, 1953.
On Thursday the United Kingdom began four days of jubilee celebrations, starting with an event called Trooping the Color, a colorful military parade in London that featured 240 horses, a Royal Air Force flyover, and a gun salute. The queen watched the parade from a balcony at Buckingham Palace.