Queen Elizabeth marks 66th anniversary of the accession with 41 gun salutes

Gun salutes have been fired in London to officially mark the 66th anniversary of the accession of the Queen of England to the throne on Tuesday.

The Queen is marked the milestone privately at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

Queen Elizabeth who is the longest-reigning sovereign in British history became Queen on February 6, 1952 on the death of her father King George VI.

Gun salutes rung out across the capital, with 41 volleys fired by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park at noon, and a 62-gun salute at 1pm at the Tower of London.

As she does most years, the Queen is reflecting on the anniversary of her father's death in private at Sandringham, where she has been staying for her annual winter break.

George VI died in his sleep at Sandringham House after suffering from lung cancer.

Princess Elizabeth, who was just 25, was thousands of miles away in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour with the Duke of Edinburgh when she learned of her father's death and her accession to the throne.

She returned home a queen.