In 1962 a public gallery was opened at Buckingham Palace to display items from the Royal Collection. The brainchild of The Duke of Edinburgh, the new Queen's Gallery proved very popular.

Royal visits became less formal than those of previous reigns. In 1962, for example, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh paid an informal visit to the East End of London, visiting housing redevelopments in Bethnal Green and Stepney and meeting a local family in their new home.

View video footage of The Queen hosting a reception for Olympians at Buckingham Palace in 1968:

During their visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1970, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh initiated a new practice - the 'walkabout' - to allow them to meet as many people as possible.

Increased access to the lives of members of the Royal Family by the media was granted. In 1969 the first television film about the family life of the Royal Family was shown. 'Royal Family' was watched by 23 million viewers and included footage of the off-duty activities of The Queen and her family.

In politics, the issue of The Queen's Royal prerogative in politics arose in 1963. Following the retirement of Harold Macmillan, The Queen acted on the advice of Macmillan in appointing Lord Home Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party.

The choice caused some controversy, and in 1965 the Conservatives instituted an electoral procedure by which to decide the Party's leadership in the future. The Queen has played no role in the election of Conservative Party leaders subsequently.

The Queen made several historic overseas visits, including, in 1965, the first visit by a monarch to Germany for 52 years.

In the divided city of West Berlin, The Queen surveyed the Berlin Wall during a historic 11-day visit to West Germany, the first German tour by a British monarch for 52 years.

And in 1971 The Queen received Emperor Hirohito of Japan on his first State Visit to Britain since the Second World War.

The Commonwealth grew in strength. Members of the Royal Family attended the independence ceremonies of countries formerly in the British Empire, giving rise to the Commonwealth in its present form as a network of countries sharing friendship across the globe.

In 1965 The Queen broadcast her first Commonwealth Day message, addressing issues facing the organisation.

Prince Charles' role as heir to the throne was formally acknowledged when The Queen invested him as Prince of Wales in a ceremony at Caernarfon in 1969. The ceremony was watched on television by 200 million people worldwide.