Westminster Abbey commissions The Queen’s Window

Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey for her coronation in 1953. Her long reign is to be marked by the installation of The Queen’s Window, a new stained glass window designed by artist David Hockney. (Photo: Library and Archives of Canada)

By Gavin Drake

Westminster Abbey is to mark the near-65-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II with a new stained glass window, which will be designed by acclaimed British contemporary artist David Hockney.

The window, which will be made at Barley Studios in York, will occupy a place in the north transept – one of the few remaining clear windows in the Abbey – and will be known as The Queen’s Window.

The Queen celebrated her 90th birthday this year. Next February marks the 65th anniversary of her succeeding her father, King George VI.

The Queen’s relationship with Westminster Abbey goes back decades. It is here, in 1947, that she married Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. She was crowned here at her coronation in 1953 – making her the longest reigning monarch in British history.

A Westminster Abbey spokesperson said that the Queen’s “profound sense of duty and her devotion to a life of service have been the hallmark of a reign spanning enormous social change.”

Queen Elizabeth attends numerous services at the Abbey each year, ranging from the annual service for the Commonwealth of Nations, to family occasions, such as the 2011 marriage of Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, to Catherine Middleton. [ACNS]