KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah congratulated Queen Elizabeth II on her Platinum Jubilee celebration which began last Thursday (June 2).

       The celebration was held to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II being on the British throne.

       In a post on the official Istana Negara Facebook page on Sunday (June 5), Sultan Abdullah expressed his happiness because Queen Elizabeth II has been blessed with good health and a long healthy life, making her the longest reigning monarch in British history.

       His Majesty also described Queen Elizabeth II as a ruler who cares about the welfare of the people and dedicated to serving the people in Britain and the Commonwealth besides praying for her to be blessed with long life, wisdom and be given the strength to continue ascending the British throne.

       "His Majesty also expressed hope that the existing close bilateral relations between Malaysia and Britain will continue to be enhanced, especially in the fields of economy, trade and investment,” read the post.

       The last time Their Majesties paid a courtesy call on Queen Elizabeth II was on Dec 13, 2019 where they attended a luncheon at Buckingham Palace, London.

       The courtesy call and luncheon were held in conjunction with the seven-day special visit of Their Majesties to England from Dec 9, 2019.

       During the visit, Sultan Abdullah also visited Westminster Abbey, which is one of the United Kingdom's most notable houses of worship and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for the English monarchs.

       On Sept 10, 2019, Their Majesties granted an audience to The Earl of Wessex Prince Edward at Istana Negara in conjunction with his two-day visit to Malaysia to attend the Duke of Edinburgh International Award’s Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in his capacity as chairman of the trustees of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation.

       Queen Elizabeth II had visited Malaysia three times - 1972 (Special Visit), 1989 (11th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) and 1998 (the closing of the16th Commonwealth Games).

       Apart from Queen Elizabeth II and the Earl of Wessex’ visits, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine also visited Malaysia in 2012 while Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall visited the country in 2017.

       The two-day visit to Sabah by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was held in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

       Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall paid a seven-day visit to Malaysia in 2017 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between Malaysia and the United Kingdom. - Bernama