The 25-year-old princess was on tour in Kenya when
she became queen on Feb 6, 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI. She immediately flew back to Britain where she was welcomed by then Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The royal family has been through tumultuous times since then. Three of the queen’s four children have divorced and every personal crisis has been dissected by world media.

The most extreme case was the 1997 death of Princess Diana, ex-wife of the queen’s eldest son Prince Charles, a rare moment of mass unpopularity for the monarch who was criticized for not showing enough emotion amid a national outpouring of grief.

During her reign, the royal family has also repeatedly come under fire over its expensive lifestyle and the queen has had to give up some of her privileges, such as her beloved yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997.

But over time, the monarch’s restrained behavior and devotion to duty have endeared her to most Britons. She also benefited from the goodwill generated by the glamorous wedding of her grandson Prince William and Kate Middleton last year.

In typical low-key style, the 85-year-old queen spent Monday carrying out routine duties such as a school visit in the town of King’s Lynn in eastern England, prompting one fan to tweet that it should be renamed “Queen’s Lynn” for the occasion.

Four days of more lavish celebrations of her 60 years on the throne, known as the diamond jubilee, are scheduled for June when the weather will be warmer. These will include a 1,000-ship pageant on the River Thames and a concert at Buckingham Palace.

60 years, 30 corgis
The queen promised on Monday to “dedicate myself anew to your service”.

“I hope also that this Jubilee year will be a time to give thanks for the great advances that have been made since 1952 and to look forward to the future with clear head and warm heart,” she wrote to her subjects in a message.

The royal household launched a festive new website, thediamondjubilee.org, allowing users to send the queen a message, listing 60 interesting or amusing facts about her, and featuring a photo timeline of world events during her reign.

The queen is now the second longest-serving monarch in British history after Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901.

During Elizabeth’s reign there have been 12 British prime ministers, 12 US presidents and six popes.

Among the 60 facts listed on the website were details about the queen’s favorite dogs: she has owned 30 corgis during her reign, and has three at present, Monty, Willow and Holly.

The queen has answered approximately 3.5 million letters, sent about 45,000 Christmas cards and given out some 90,000 Christmas puddings to staff over the years.

The timeline includes world events ranging from the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 to the Arab Spring protests in 2011, as well as personal milestones such as the birth of Savannah, her first great-grandchild, in 2010.

It even includes a picture of legendary punk band the Sex Pistols signing a record deal in front of Buckingham Palace – although it stops short of mentioning their 1977 hit song “God Save the Queen”, which the BBC banned at the time over lyrics deemed too disrespectful towards the monarch.

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Some 5,000 members of the country’s largest indigenous Ngobe-Bugle group have blocked the only highway into neighboring Costa Rica since late January after the Panamanian government approved the projects in their home province in the western part of the Central American country.

Hundreds of trucks are stuck in a kilometer-long traffic jam on the border and stranded tourists had to be rescued by authorities. Local media have reported that the protest is resulting in supply shortages.

President Ricardo Martinelli has blamed the opposition and ‘foreign elements’ for inciting chaos.

The United Nations and human rights organizations have called on the government to negotiate with the Ngobe-Bugle and called for calm on both sides. A police action against the group last spring left one person dead and several others injured.

The protest focusses on the Cerro Colorado mine with one of the largest copper reserves in Latin America. Canadian and Korean firm hope to expand operations there, but the move would involve the resettlement of many local villages.

The young girl, “Gisel” was raped by her father, Javier Luna Lopez. After the rape, she soon found out she was pregnant. She gave birth to a baby boy, her son, yet also her brother.

The attack occurred after her father arrived home drunk and found his daughter asleep in her bed. Unable to defend herself, “Gisel” was violated by her father, changing her life forever. Lopez was later arrested and faced trial. Although “Gisel” was too distraught to testify during her father’s trial, the evidence was enough to convict him.

Today “Gisel” is learning to juggle her studies, normal childhood activities, as well as her responsibilities as a mother. Her baby remains a part of the family; however the entire family is still struggling.

According to Maribel Peña, a specialist at the Patronato Nacional de Infancia (PANI), Costa Rica’s child services, long term therapy for the entire family will be imperative. “Gisel” as well as her mother and siblings will need continued emotional support and therapy in order to overcome the abuse of her father.

Although this young girl has faced an atrocious act of abuse she still continues to look towards the future. “Gisel” hopes to continue her studies and eventually become a teacher.

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