NZ gun salute marks Queen's platinum jubilee

The New Zealand Army marked the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne by firing a 21-gun salute on Thursday.

The Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery's 16th Field Regiment fired the salutes in Wellington. The United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations are celebrating Elizabeth's 70 years on the throne from Thursday to Sunday, an anniversary known as her Platinum Jubilee. Elizabeth became queen on February 6, 1952, when she was 25, after the death of her father, King George VI. Her formal coronation took place on June 2, 1953 but her reign began the moment her father died. Now at the age of 96, she is Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the first to reach seven decades on the throne.