Platinum jubilee: Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign in 70 memorable photos

The long-serving monarch is celebrating her jubilee in a country much changed since her accession to the throne in 1952

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after her silver jubilee procession in 1977. PA

Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her platinum jubilee on Sunday as she marks 70 years on the British throne.

The 95-year-old monarch became Britain's longest-serving head of state in 2015, surpassing her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria.

She has represented the nation and Commonwealth at some of the most momentous occasions of the past seven decades.

Weddings, births, divorces, world tours, official banquets, appearances at the Olympics — none has fazed the UK's figurehead.

She may have been forgiven for thinking she had seen it all by this stage, but surely if her long reign has taught her one thing above all else it is to expect the unexpected.

For the queen, Covid-19 restrictions even meant sitting alone in Westminster Abbey during the funeral of her beloved husband.

This poignant tableau of solitary grief is selected as the photo for 2021 in the gallery.

Scroll through this and the other 69 shots to see a photo from each year of the queen's reign.

Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year reign — in pictures