Queen Elizabeth will be commemorating another major milestone on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, her Accession Day, as it will be her 69th year as the Queen of the United Kingdom and the longest-reigning living monarch in Europe.

However, she will reflect on this in private with Prince Philip at Windsor Castle. According to reports, the Queen doesn't celebrate her Accession Day with fanfare because it's also the death anniversary of her father, King George VI.

In 1952, then Princess Elizabeth was told of her father's death during a royal tour in Kenya with Prince Philip. The royal pair were supposed to head to Australia and New Zealand next but their trip was cut short following this heartbreaking loss and they had to fly back to the U.K. as soon as possible. When she arrived home, her immediate family bowed to her and kissed her hand, as she became the new monarch.

Pre-pandemic, the Queen traditionally commemorates this day in Sandringham, where King George VI breathed his last on his deathbed. However, Her Majesty will not be able to travel to this home this year due to the coronavirus lockdown.

But the Queen will not just be reflecting on her father's death anniversary. Her Majesty also lost a good and long-time friend this week following the passing of Lord Samuel Vestey.

Vestey, 79, died two months after his wife, Lady Celia Vestey, also passed away. Lady Celia was a confidante of Queen Elizabeth.

According to People, the Vestey couple was part of the royal inner circle and was often present at the Royal Ascot, Her Majesty's favorite summer event. Lord Vestey was a horse trainer and breeder who ran a million-dollar fortune, Vestey Holdings. He was also Queen Elizabeth's Master of Horse and was appointed as her Lord-in-Waiting in August 2019. The cause of his death was not revealed in public.

Aside from the deaths of the Vestey couple, Queen Elizabeth also recently sent her condolences to the family of Captain Thomas Moore, the veteran hero who launched a massive fundraiser for the NHS in 2020. Her Majesty honored Moore with a knighthood in July last year for his inspiring efforts. His family confirmed that he died due to coronavirus on Feb. 2 at the age of 100 years old.

Queen Elizabeth also lost another friend, Lady Moyra Campbell, in November last year. Campbell was one of her Maid of Honors during her formal coronation in 1953. A few weeks before her death, the Queen's friend, Lady Elizabeth Shakerley, also passed away. Shakerley was Buckingham Palace's official party hostess and a cousin, once removed, of Her Majesty.