Queen wears 18th birthday brooches from late father to view Jubilee cards
She's approaching her 70th year as the reigning monarch
Last updated 27th May 2022
The Queen has paid tribute to her late father while looking at Jubilee memorabilia, in preparation for reaching her 70th anniversary on the throne.
The aquamarine and diamond clip brooches she wore while looking at the cards, were an 18th birthday present from her beloved “Papa” George VI back in April 1944.
George VI died on the 6th February 1952, marking the start of Elizabeth II's reign.
The two art deco-style pieces were made by Boucheron from baguette, oval and round diamonds and aquamarines.
The Queen was pictured wearing them while looking at her Platinum Jubilee cards and memorabilia from the Golden Jubilee, in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle.
She also wore the treasured brooches when she addressed the nation on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020 and for her Diamond Jubilee televised speech in 2012.
Elizabeth II came to the throne on February 6 1952, the day the ailing king, who had lung cancer, died at Sandringham 70 years ago.
At the time, the monarch, now 95, was in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour with the Duke of Edinburgh.
READ MORE: In pictures: 70 years of the Queen's reign
They had spent the night before at the remote Treetops Hotel in Aberdare Forest, where they watched baboons in the jungle and took photographs of the sunrise.
The Queen, who is staying on the Sandringham estate, usually spends each Accession Day in private, reflecting on the bittersweet anniversary of the loss of her father and the start of her reign.
Elizabeth was close to "Bertie", as the family called him, she is said to share his character and dedicated professionalism.
He became king in 1936 after his brother Edward VIII gave up the throne.
After starting the abdication crisis, Edward stepped down from the role over his love affair with divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.
George VI was then responsible for restoring the public’s faith in the monarchy, and his reign carried the nation through the Second World War.