Australia's message to Her Majesty The Queen

6th February 2012


Her Excellency the Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, has sent the following message to Her Majesty The Queen, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of her accession to the Throne:

“It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the people of Australia, to send Your Majesty loyal and affectionate greetings and congratulations on the 60th anniversary of your accession to the Throne.

The warmth and enthusiasm which greeted Your Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh on the occasion of your 16th visit to our country last year was a reflection of the immense regard in which you continue to be held.

[My husband] Michael [Bryce] joins me in wishing you a wonderful year ahead”.


The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Australian Opposition, the Hon. Tony Abbott posted this message on his website:

The Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen
Posted on Monday, 6th February 2012

It was sixty years ago today that Her Majesty The Queen ascended the throne on the death of her father, King George VI.

Though The Queen will formally celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in June it is appropriate that we acknowledge today The Queen’s sixty years of service.

As evidenced by the tens of thousands who greeted her during her most recent visit last year, The Queen has a special place in the hearts of all Australians.

The Queen’s first Australian Prime Minister was Sir Robert Menzies. No less than 11 Australian prime ministers and 17 opposition leaders have come and gone in those sixty years.

Whilst The Queen herself has been unchanging in her commitment to the values of service and loyalty, the Crown has evolved with the people it serves. Over the past sixty years, for instance, the office of Governor-General has evolved into a fully Australian office.

Today Australians will think of our Queen with respect and affection.

I hope all Australians will have the opportunity to celebrate and commemorate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee during 2012. The Coalition will be supportive of appropriate national commemorations that honour this significant event.


Her Majesty's Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard, had a transcript of a press conference in Canberra on her website:

6th February 2012

I’ve got three matters to deal with today. First I would like to offer my congratulations to the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee. Today is the anniversary, the sixtieth anniversary of her accession to the throne. We will be saying some more about this in Parliament tomorrow and particularly the ways that Australians can get involved in celebrating the Diamond Jubilee this year.

For today it is enough to say that we are marking a remarkable event for our Monarch, she is the only person to reach – the second person to reach the Diamond Jubilee anniversary, a truly remarkable event. I believe Australians remember her visit to Australia last year with a feeling of warmth and many Australians will want to get involved in celebrating this milestone this year.

Accession Day celebration in Melbourne

Melburnians have the opportunity to celebrate the Queen of Australia’s 60th anniversary of the Accession on Monday, 6th February at 2 pm at the Mission to Seafarers, 717 Flinders Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3005. Please inform Phyl if your are coming, Tel. 9645 4417.

The seafarers' building was designed by Walter Butler in 1916 and is architecturally significant as being a fine urban example of the Arts and Crafts & Spanish Mission style in Melbourne. It was also the place, where Melburnian Monarchists came together to celebrate Prince Charles' 60th birthday.

The building itself is worth a visit since it is an oasis of calm in the city.

Accession Day: King Juan Carlos I
35 Years on the Spanish throne


On 22nd November 1975 Don Juan Carlos, the Prince of Spain, was proclaimed King of Spain in the Spanish Cortes. Spain had been a Kingdom without King since 1947, when a referendum approved the Monarchy that had been toppled by republicans in 1931.

For 35 years King Juan Carlos of Spain has enjoyed the unquestioning loyalty of his subjects and the discreet respect of the media. The King's role in helping restore democracy in Spain after the dictatorship of Franco won him the enduring gratitude and respect of a majority of Spaniards.

Born in Rome on 5th January 1938, the King returned to Spain at the age of ten, where he studied and was groomed as the successor to Franco. He was proclaimed King after General Franco's death, but steered the country toward a parliamentary system and now has little actual power.

During an attempted military coup in February 1981, the King went on television to denounce the putsch and urged the Spanish people to support the democratically elected government.

The Royal Family remains popular among Spaniards, who in May 2007 voted King Juan Carlos the greatest Spaniard of all time, beating out Christopher Columbus and Miguel de Cervantes, the author of "Don Quixote."

On Wednesday 6 February 2008, the Governor-General, His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC sent the following message to Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of the 56th Anniversary of Her Accession to the Throne:

"It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the people of Australia, to send to Your Majesty loyal and affectionate greetings on the Anniversary of Your Accession to the Throne”.



On a much more enthusiastic note the Canadian Government asked all Canadians to celebrate the accession of the Queen of Canada to the throne:

Statement by the Hon. Jason Kenney, PC, MP, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity) on Accession Day
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwir e - Feb. 5, 2008) -

February 6 marks the anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne as Queen of Canada.

For more than 50 years, Her Majesty has been a constant reminder of our heritage as a constitutional monarchy and of our unique identity-of our origins and of our constant evolution.

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper said last year, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's "lifelong dedication to duty and self-sacrifice have been a source of inspiration and encouragement to the many countries that make up the Commonwealth and to the people of Canada."

I would like to take the opportunity presented by Accession Day to encourage all Canadians to express their pride in our identity as a constitutional monarchy and in the democratic heritage left to us by our forbears.

For more information, please contact
Office of the Honourable Jason Kenney, PC, MP,
Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)
Alykhan Velshi, Director of Communications
819-934-1122