Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, smiles during a visit to Kings Lynn Town Hall in eastern England Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. It has been 60 years to the day since Britain was shocked by the bulletins: The King is dead; long live the Queen! Eight words encapsulated both the news on Feb. 6, 1952 and the British doctrine of monarchy. It also starkly illustrates why an accession anniversary _ which Queen Elizabeth II marks Monday _ is tinged with sadness for the loss of a reigning monarch. Princess Elizabeth became the queen the moment her 56-year-old father, King George VI, died of a fatal blood clot, apparently soon after he went to bed at 11:30 p.m. the previous night. A servant discovered the lifeless king in his bed at 7:50 a.m. On his death, Elizabeth automatically became queen, but she was at the Treetops resort in Kenya with her husband, Prince Philip. (AP Photo/PA, Chris Radburn)