QUEEN ELIZABETH 63 CELBR

She will never, never abdicate: Queen will serve the country for the rest of her life, confidantes tell the Mail

Here to stay: The Queen's friends spoke of her resolve on the eve of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations

Confidantes told the Mail that the Queen is as determined as ever to serve her country for the rest of her life.
Her fierce resolve should not be seen as a snub to her son and heir, Prince Charles, they stress, but as a sign of the over-riding sense of duty she has felt since taking her Coronation vows six decades ago.
‘The promise she made before God to dedicate her life to her country and to her people all those years ago is one that she takes as seriously today,’ said one member of her inner circle.
‘As far as she is concerned, that has been it. And that will be it, for the rest of her life.’
On the eve of the festivities yesterday, a wave of tributes poured in for the sovereign, only the second head of state in British history to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee. Her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria was the first.
The Archbishop of Canterbury called her an ‘exceptional gift’ to the nation, Prime Minister David Cameron described her as ‘brilliant, enduring and resilient’ while Prince Charles said simply she was his ‘wonderful Mama’.