Throughout her reign the Queen has been an enduring figure in the life of the nation, and her importance has been recognised worldwide by successive leaders.

The celebration of 60 years as Queen culminated in the four-day long bank holiday weekend.

The spectacular River Thames pageant featuring a 1,000-strong flotilla and a St Paul’s Cathedral service of thanksgiving were among the highlights of the weekend.

Historians are likely to see the Queen as having a foot in both the past – with its traditions and customs – and the present, where she is a symbol of stability. The Queen also has a personal side – as her family’s matriarch she is wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to those closest to her.

Britain’s head of state already has the status of being the longest-serving monarch after Queen Victoria. And like her great-great-grandmother, who reigned for more than 63 years, her many years on the throne have helped define an era.

When she acceded to the throne as a young woman following the death of her father, George VI, on February 6, 1952, the country was almost unrecognisable from today.

Britain was still gripped by rationing, and the country bore the scars of six years of war against the Nazis.

Five years earlier, during a visit to South Africa, on her 21st birthday – April 21 – she had vowed to serve the Commonwealth. She said: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

The Queen has remained true to her pledge and dedicated herself to the nation and beyond.

Public affection for the monarchy has been boosted over the past year following the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the interest Catherine has generated in the royals.

The Diamond Jubilee is a high-water mark in the life of a woman who became Queen as a young woman and remained true to her ideals.