On the occasion of her 70th jubilee to the throne, the Archbishop of Canterbury presents the 96-year-old with a special cross in recognition of her service. After both were unable to attend the monarch's thanksgiving service, Royal fans are particularly pleased with one detail of the meeting.
Royal fans should take this as a good sign: Queen Elizabeth II greeted Justin Welby at Windsor Castle and didn't have to use her walking stick. The Archbishop of Canterbury paid a visit to the monarch, who wore a cream dress with a pink floral pattern, to present her with a 70th Jubilee gift.
A Royal Family Instagram post said the Archbishop presented the Queen with a special Canterbury Cross "in recognition of her service to the Church of England for over seventy years". Welby recently missed the June 3 anniversary service in St. Paul's Cathedral for Queen Elizabeth II due to a corona infection.
The monarch herself was also absent from the thanksgiving service after the Trooping the Color parade and was represented by her family. "The Queen really enjoyed today's birthday parade, but she felt a little uncomfortable," the palace said at the time. The Queen, who has performed with a cane on several occasions, has recently had to cancel several official appointments due to mobility issues.
Queen Elizabeth II is now the second longest reigning monarch of modern times. As the broadcaster Sky News and the tabloid "Daily Express" have calculated, the 96-year-old is now on an equal footing with the Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927-2016) during her reign. He was regent of his Southeast Asian country for 70 years and 126 days until his death.
The Queen is only topped in the list of monarchs of sovereign states by Louis XIV (1638-1715): After his coronation at the age of four in 1643, the French "Sun King" sat on the throne for a proud 72 years and 110 days. The queen would not catch up with him until 2024.
