Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee

For the first time in history, a British monarch is celebrating 70 years on the throne.

Queen Elizabeth II was 25 years old when her reign began on February 6, 1952.

To mark the unprecedented anniversary, there are Platinum Jubilee celebrations taking place across the country. A four-day holiday weekend will include a variety of public events and community activities.

The festivities began Thursday with the Queen’s birthday parade, which is also known as Trooping the Colour. The Queen and members of the royal family made their customary balcony appearance before the event ended with a flypast over Buckingham Palace.

This will be the Queen’s first jubilee without her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.