LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, expressing her “sincere wish” for Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, to ultimately be known as Queen Consort.

Elizabeth II made the announcement in a message renewing her pledge to spend her life serving the nation as she began her Platinum Jubilee in subdued fashion at Sandringham, her estate in eastern England.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch acceded to the throne aged 25 on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI.

In a major statement on the future of the royal family, the 95-year-old expressed her “sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort”.

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Charles warmly praised Camilla in a message marking the Jubilee, saying: “my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout”, adding that they were “deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother’s wish”.

He paid tribute to the Queen’s “devotion to the welfare of all her people (which) inspires still greater admiration with each passing year”.

The Queen said she hoped that when Charles, now 73, becomes monarch, the British people would give him and Camilla, now 74, “the same support that you have given me”.