UK premier leads tributes to Queen Elizabeth II

Associated Press
Britain's Queen Elizabeth attends a service for the Order of the British Empire, at St Paul's Cathedral in London Wednesday March 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Luke MacGregor, Pool)

LONDON (AP) — Britain's prime minister says the country must pay tribute to the "unerring grace, dignity and decency" of Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates her 60th year on the throne.

David Cameron made a personal tribute Wednesday before Diamond Jubilee celebrations to mark the queen's coronation in 1952.

Festivities are taking place across Britain, in the 15 far-flung nations where the queen is also head of state and in the 14 smaller British dependencies.

Cameron says the queen offered a stability which is "essential for our national life." He adds that the British monarch had traveled more widely than any head of state in history, meeting at least 4 million people on visits.