Public duty and Royal family life came into focus
Births, weddings and informal life at palace
During the 1960s The Queen’s public image became increasingly informal and emphasised her position as a mother and as the embodiment of family life.
As the decade unfolded there were profound social changes in Britain and the Queen’s elevated position began to look out of step with more egalitarian times.
London was at the heart of the Swinging Sixties and the head of state was expected to let her hair down with the best of them.
The decade started with family affairs. The Queen gave birth to her third child, Andrew, on February 19 1960 and her sister Margaret married photographer ArmstrongJones at Westminster Abbey on May 6 1960.
Accompanied by Prince Philip, she attended the wedding of her cousin Princess Alexandra
and Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey on April 24 1963.
Prince Edward, The Queen’s youngest son, was born on March 10 1964.
Rumblings of scandals that were always to rock her reign – although never taint her personally – included Margaret, always headstrong, and her trip with Armstrong-Jones to the US in 1965.
There were reports of parties and the £30,000 cost of the trip led to the Princess being banned from making any more official visits to the US.
The world watched as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon on July 20 1969.
The two astronauts carried a message from Queen Elizabeth, which had been embossed on a disc alongside messages from 72 other world leaders that was sent to the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
It read: “On behalf of the British people, I salute the skills and courage which have brought man to the moon. May this endeavour increase the knowledge and well-being of mankind.”
Upon their return, the astronauts stopped at Buckingham Palace as part of their world tour, meeting Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip,
Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
The meeting was famously awkward; Armstrong was suffering from a terrible cold and inadvertently coughed in the Queen’s face repeatedly, prompting her to raise her hands in mock surrender.
The Queen toured ceaselessly throughout the decade visiting hundreds of places ranging from the makers of Matchbox toys in Hackney to a swimming and diving gala marking the centenary of the Amateur Swimming Association at Crystal Palace.
The ’60s ended as they had started with Queen Elizabeth being at the heart of the family. She and her family were the subjects of a TV documentary.
It signalled a surge in public appetite for the House of Windsor.
A month later, Charles was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle while TV cameras rolled.
‘I salute the skills and courage which have brought man to the moon’ Queen Elizabeth II
More than 30 million people tuned in to Royal Family, a 105-minute colour documentary, broadcast on June 21 1969. The Queen was a reluctant participant but was persuaded it was a chance to introduce the public to her eldest son Charles, then 21. Viewers were so riveted to their screens that they caused a water shortage at intermission as toilets flushed across London.