Queen in sapphire for 65 years on throne

A portrait of the Queen by British photographer David Bailey has been reissued for her Sapphire Jubilee, marking 65 years on the throne.

In the photo, the Queen wears sapphire jewellery given to her by King George VI as a wedding gift in 1947.

The Queen has become the first British monarch to reach a sapphire jubilee.

The portrait was among a series taken by Bailey in 2014, with one released for the Queen’s 88th birthday that year.

She became the UK’s longestreigning monarch in 2015 at the age of 89.

The photographer’s subjects over the years include Princess Diana, the Beatles, and criminals the Kray twins.

In the portrait, the Queen, who is now 90, wears a necklace made of 16 large oblong sapphires surrounded by diamonds with a matching pair of drop earrings.

Over the years, she has added to the gifts from her father with a tiara and a bracelet to complement the original jewellery.

It is tradition for the Queen to spend the Accession Day - as the anniversary of the day she became monarch is officially known - in private at her Sandringham Estate and return to Buckingham Palace a few days later.

Prime Minister Theresa May offered her congratulations hailing the Queen as “truly an inspiration to all of us”.

The prime minister said: “I know the nation will join with me today in celebrating and giving thanks for the lifetime of service Her Majesty the Queen has given to our country and to the Commonwealth.”

Mrs May said it was “a testament to her selfless devotion to the nation” that the Queen had made clear she did not want official celebrations to mark the historic milestone.

In London, royal gun salutes commemorated the occasion across the capital.

A 41-gun salute was fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park at midday and a 62-gun salute by the Honourable Artillery Company was fired at the Tower of London at 1pm.

During the celebrations, the Band of the Royal Artillery played music close to the firing position, and 89 horses pulled six World War One-era 13-pounder field guns into position in the park.

Larger-scale jubilee celebrations are expected to be reserved for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, when the monarch will mark 70 years.

At the time of the commission, Bailey said he had “always been a huge fan of the Queen”.