29 May 2012: During the last 60 years The Queen has celebrated many milestones, whilst also experiencing more difficult times. Below we take a look at six key events during The Queen’s reign and the average house price at that time.
King George VI died on 6 February 1952. Princess Elizabeth was touring Kenya when she learnt of her father’s death and her own accession to the throne. On returning home she was greeted at the airport by Winston Churchill, the first of twelve Prime Ministers who have been in office during The Queen’s reign.
The Coronation took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey. At The Queen’s request the ceremony was broadcast on television for the first time, as well as radio.
Average house price £1,891
The birth of Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew was born on 19 Feb 1960 at Buckingham Palace. Although not her first born, Prince Andrew was the first child to be born to a reigning monarch for 103 years. It was on 14 April 1857 that Queen Victoria gave birth to Princess Beatrice, the ninth and final child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Average house price £2,198
The Queen’s Silver Jubilee
The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh embarked on a large scale national and international tour of the Commonwealth, travelling an estimated 56,000 miles.
On Jubilee Day on 7 June 1977 more than one million people lined the streets of London to watch the Royal Family travel to St Pauls Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving.
Average house price £12,689
Fire at Windsor Castle
Fire broke out at Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, on the night of 20 November 1992. Coincidentally this was The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh’s 45th Wedding Anniversary.
The Fire started in the Private Chapel and approximately one fifth of the Castle area was damaged or destroyed. It took 5 years to restore, at an estimated cost of £37m.
Average house price £50,168
The deaths of The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret
In her Golden Jubilee year, The Queen grieved for both her sister and mother who died just a few weeks apart.
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother died on 30 March 2002 aged 101. Born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, The Queen Mother was the widow of King George VI. Princess Margaret, The Queen’s younger sister died just seven weeks earlier, on 9 February 2002 aged 71.
Average house price £95,356
Diamond Wedding Anniversary
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary on 20 November 2007. The Queen is the first British monarch to have celebrated a Diamond Wedding Anniversary.
Average house price £183,959
Average house prices have now fallen back since their all time high in 2007. At the time of The Queen’s 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne, the average house price was £162,722. This is a remarkable increase of over 8,500% in the last 60 years!
You can see the full list of average house prices since 1952 by visiting Nationwide’s House Price Index website.