BRITAIN: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II returned to Westminster Abbey amid pomp and circumstance yesterday and retraced the steps she took on the day she was crowned exactly 50 years before.
Elizabeth Windsor had succeeded her father, King George VI, on February 6th 1952, immediately after his death, but her coronation did not take place until 16 months later - on June 2nd 1953.
Compared to that imperial event, or to last year's Golden Jubilee, yesterday's commemorative service was a relatively low-key affair - there were 2,250 guests in the church and a couple of hundred well-wishers outside waving Union Jack flags.
Within the congregation, all eyes were on Camilla Parker-Bowles, the long-time companion of the Prince of Wales, who was seated among the VIPs.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, was not present due to his attendance at the G8 summit in France.
But several of his Downing Street predecessors were there, including Edward Heath (prime minister 1970-74), James Callaghan (1976-79) and Margaret Thatcher (1979-90).
Also in Westminster Abbey was Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealander whose conquest of Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay on May 29th 1953 was announced to the world on the day of the coronation.
The service was attended by 34 "coronation babies" - Britons born on the day Queen Elizabeth was crowned.
Queen Elizabeth afterwards attended a party and fun-fair for underprivileged children at Buckingham Palace.