Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 60 years on the throne with a day at the races

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 60 years on the throne with a day at the races

QUEEN Elizabeth II was marking the 60th anniversary of her coronation in private after indulging in her passion for horses with a day at the races.

The 87-year-old monarch and her husband Prince Philip spent Saturday at the Epsom Derby, echoing the events of a year ago that kicked off her diamond jubilee party.

Elizabeth took the throne on February 6, 1952 upon the death of her father king George VI, but to allow for a period of national mourning, she was only crowned 16 months later in London's Westminster Abbey in Britain's first televised coronation.

The queen will be joined by the royal family and 2,000 guests at the abbey on Tuesday for a service celebrating the anniversary of the rainy summer's day on June 2, 1953 when the imperial state crown was placed on her head.

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