The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in Malta Tuesday afternoon to mark their 60th
wedding anniversary. They lived in Malta on and off for two years at the
start of their married life between 1949 and 1951.
Queen Elizabeth’s short stop-over in
Malta is being made on her
way to the CHOGM Commonwealth
summit in Kampala, Uganda. The Queen landed in
Malta
at 1700 CET. Soon after she landed, she went for a walkabout at the
Upper Barrakka at 1720 CET after which she went to San Anton Palace. She will leave the island on Wednesday
at 0930 CET.
The Queen is the first British monarch to reach a diamond wedding anniversary.
The couple's wedding was at Westminster Abbey on
20 November, 1947. The then Princess Elizabeth made a number of visits to Malta, where
the prince was stationed in the Royal Navy.
Elizabeth II stayed at this palace during her visit in Malta, just as she did in previous Royal visits,
both in her capacity as Head of the Commonwealth of Nations and, in 1954 and
1967 in her capacity as Queen of Malta before Malta obtained its independence.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's visit to Malta in November is being described by
many as a “second honeymoon” in Malta,
the latter being the place where they spent some of their happiest days as a
young couple.
The Queen and the duke celebrated their
anniversary with more than 30 family members and 2,000 other guests at
Westminster Abbey on Monday, according to a BBC report. The service featured a reading from Prince
William, and in a blessing, the Archbishop of Canterbury renewed their
promises. The service was also attended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his
predecessors in the job, John Major and Baroness Thatcher, as well as 10
couples who married on the same day as the royals.
