Colour transparency; silver Jubillee Routemasters at Buckingham Palace, 1977

Queen Elizabeth II succeeded to the throne in 1952. She was crowned in London the following year. The Silver Jubilee or 25th anniversary of Elizabeth's succession was 1977. Celebrations were held in London throughout the month of June. They included a royal procession down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. This photo shows two Routemaster buses passing through the gates of Buckingham Palace during the celebrations. The buses, which would have normally been red, had been painted silver especially for the occasion. Twenty-five buses were repainted, and advertising rights sold to sponsors for £10,000 each.