Platinum Jubilee: Cathedrals mark 70th anniversary of Queen's accession

Exeter's accession evensong took place under a giant sculpture of the moon on display at the cathedral

Special services to mark the 70th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne have been held in cathedrals in Devon and Cornwall.

Both Exeter and Truro's cathedrals held an evensong on Sunday afternoon.

The Dean of Exeter, the Very Reverend Jonathan Greener, said that although there would be jubilee celebrations in June, they could not let the anniversary of the accession pass.

The Queen is the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee.

The Queen has visited the South West many times during her 70-year reign, including Exeter Cathedral in 1983

Dean Greener said: "There are big celebrations in June, and we don't want to pre-empt that. But you can't let something like this go without marking it formally in some way.

"And the other thing, of course, is that we've had two years of misery [due to the coronavirus pandemic], so we thought two celebrations are better than one."

The choir sang an anthem written for Queen Elizabeth I by 16th Century English composer William Byrd as part of its service.

The Exeter evensong also took place under a giant sculpture of the moon on display at the cathedral.

Truro Cathedral said its service also considered the fact the day "also marks the death of the Queen's father, King George VI", bringing "a poignancy as well as a sense of thanksgiving".