David Cameron has paid tribute to the Queen as she prepares to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee with a pageant on the river Thames.
"It's hugely important, the Queen has given incredible service 60 years on the throne, a lifetime of service, she has never put a foot wrong," the prime minister said.
"She's hugely popular and respected here and around the world; it's an opportunity to give thanks and say thank you for the incredible service she has given."
In a separate tribute in this week's House Magazine, Cameron said he owed the Queen a "huge debt" for the wisdom she had shown him over the past couple of years.
"Six decades of service have given her an acute sense of what matters, what is permanent, and what is in Britain’s best interests. As her previous Prime Ministers have found, those insights are extremely useful," he said.
"She is quite simply a remarkable person and a towering figure in our history. Long may she reign."
The Queen has seen no less than 12 prime minister over the course of her reign.
