‘These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress’

The Queen's platinum jubilee message in full

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Transcript of Queen Elizabeth II's address to the UK on the eve of the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne:

Tomorrow, 6 February, marks the 70th anniversary of my accession in 1952. It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign.