The doors of Westminster Abbey flung open, and a young woman walked slowly but surely out onto the streets of London. As the waiting crowd roared in appreciation, the 2,868 diamonds on her crown sparkled resplendently in the sunlight.

The date was Tuesday 2 June 1953, the Queen's coronation day - a year since the death of her beloved father and a year since Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne.

As the procession made its way back to Buckingham Palace, millions across the country gathered at street parties to celebrate the new queen. 

Nobody knew what she would face in her reign, whether it would be long or short, triumphant or turbulent or maybe even both. Today, more than 70 years on, people around Britain and the world are remembering a monarch who ruled for longer than any other in British history. 

The Queen is still commanding headlines now just as she did in the 1950s. But there is no doubt: the headlines are being written in a remarkably different world.

In the 1950s, the world was still haunted by the horrors of World War Two. Winston Churchill was the British prime minister, and sweets were still rationed. On her coronation day, the Queen reigned over 70 overseas territories. The British EmpireA group of countries that were once ruled or controlled by the UK, including Australia, Canada, India and large parts of Africa. still existed. Although even then, its power was shrinking. 

In the seven decades since, the globe has transformed. The power balance has shifted. The Queen ended her reign as monarch of 15 countries, not 70. 

Changes have taken place beyond the CommonwealthOfficially called the Commonwealth of Nations, it was set up in 1926. There are 54 members in all. too. Britain joined the European Union in 1973, then left in 2020. The Queen lived through the tense days of the Cold WarA period of diplomatic conflict between blocs led by the USA and the USSR that lasted from 1947 until 1991, when the USSR collapsed. and watched on as first the Berlin Well and then the entire Soviet Union fell. She witnessed years of peace between East and West, and now the return of fighting in Ukraine.

Society has changed beyond recognition. When Princess Elizabeth became Queen, segregation was still allowed in US schools. The civil rights movement, led by Martin Luther KingThe civil rights leader was shot dead in Tennessee in 1968. , had not yet begun. 

Today, same-sex marriage is legal in 30 countries, including the US and UK. ApartheidA system of legally-enshrined racial discrimination and oppression which existed in South Africa from 1948 until the 1990s. It denied non-white South Africans basic human rights. has ended in South Africa. Nelson Mandela is remembered as a president, not just a political prisoner. 

Meanwhile, technology has transformed our understanding of what is possible and our hopes for the future. In the 1940s, an explorer was looking at burrs in the Swiss Alps when he came up with the idea for Velcro - an invention later used on the Apollo missions. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit the Earth. In 1969, the Queen greeted the first humans on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, at Buckingham Palace. Now, there are plans to populate Mars.

Closer to home, the tech industry has altered how we live our lives every day. Elizabeth II sent her first email in 1976 at the age of 50 and her first tweet in 2014 aged 88.

In the 1950s, music fans listened to Elvis Presley on vinyl. Today, people have thousands of tracks stored on the smartphones in their pockets, all made possible by the invention of the internet. 

The woman who waved to her subjects 70 years ago could not have imagined the future in front of her. There is no doubt: the pace of progress has been dazzling. Today, some believe there is no other era in history that can rival the second Elizabeth age.

Yes: There is no doubt at all. The last 70 years have seen extraordinary progress, and extraordinary political change in Britain and around the world. There can be no comparison.

No: Queen Victoria saw the Industrial Revolution, the growth of the British Empire and a vast population boom during her 63 years on the throne. And before her, Queen Elizabeth I witnessed the Protestant reformation.

Or... The greatest changes may still be to come. The world the new King is inheriting is profoundly different to that of his mother. But there is no doubt: progress has not stopped yet.