Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 96th birthday at Sandringham with family and friends
Britain’s longest-reigning monarch travelled by helicopter to her estate in Sandringham where she celebrated her 96th birthday surrounded by family and friends.
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Queen Elizabeth II turned 96 on Thursday, local time, receiving a rousing “Happy Birthday” from a military band and ceremonial gun salutes, after a troubled year hit by health concerns.
The Band of the Coldstream Guards, in red tunics and bearskin hats, played the tribute to crowds of onlookers outside her Windsor Castle home west of London.
Ceremonial gun salutes resounded across the country, including at the Tower of London.
But the queen — the oldest and longest-serving head of state in the world — marked the occasion with little fanfare, retreating to her Sandringham country estate in Norfolk, eastern England for a short break.
No official engagements have been planned, although royal officials released a photograph of the horse-loving head of state with two of her Fell ponies.
According to The Daily Mail, the Queen donned pink lipstick and sunglasses as she went for a drive with her close friend and dresser Angela Kelly, 64.
Wearing sunglasses, pink lipstick and a trademark headscarf, the Mail said the royal had her dogs in the back of the Range Rover.
The Queen is believed to be staying at Wood Farm – the farmhouse that the Duke of Edinburgh made his retirement home – where it is expected friends and family will drop in over the next few days.
To mark the occasion the royal family’s social media posted an adorable must see baby photo of the Queen.
To their Twitter account a photo of “Princess Elizabeth aged 2” was posted.
“Then, in 1928, it was never expected she would be Queen, and this year Her Majesty is celebrating her #PlatinumJubilee - a first in British history,” noted the tweet.
Happy Birthday Your Majesty!
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 21, 2022
Today as The Queen turns 96, we’re sharing this photograph of the young Princess Elizabeth aged 2.
Then, in 1928, it was never expected she would be Queen, and this year Her Majesty is celebrating her #PlatinumJubilee - a first in British history. pic.twitter.com/DnwsMU81I3
Her grandson Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, called her “an inspiration to so many across the UK, the Commonwealth and the world” in a tweet that highlighted her grandchildren.
Wishing Her Majesty The Queen a very happy 96th birthday today!
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) April 21, 2022
An inspiration to so many across the UK, the Commonwealth and the world, it’s particularly special to be celebrating in this #PlatinumJubilee year. pic.twitter.com/iWfyorcd8I
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall shared four photos to mark the special occasion, including an image of a smiling Queen at the G7 Reception last year, which was an important event for Prince Charles.
Two other photos show the Queen with Charles, and Camilla, and Princess Anne - plus a black-and-white throwback from 1956 when the Queen was accompanied by her two eldest children at the Windsor Horse Show.
Wishing Her Majesty The Queen a particularly special 96th birthday today, as we celebrate her Platinum Jubilee year. 🎈 pic.twitter.com/CJSMTjOMBp
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) April 21, 2022
In a charming Instagram post, the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Eugenie also paid tribute, sharing a photo from Trooping the Colour in 1998, with a young Eugenie standing beside the Queen, as she waved to the crowds from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
“Happy 96th Birthday Granny! You have been such an inspiration to me and so many across the world. Thank you for your support, love and strength. Xx,” Eugenie posted.
Royal tradition since the 18th century has also seen the monarch have a second, official birthday, typically celebrated in warmer weather in June.
This year’s official birthday will coincide with four days of public events from June 2 to 5 to mark her record-breaking 70th year on the throne.
US toy manufacturer Mattel has even released a new Barbie doll of the queen to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee.
The Sandringham trip is being seen as a “positive step”, given the Queen’s recent health problems, British media reported.
Since an unscheduled overnight stay in hospital last October, she has cut down massively on public appearances on doctor’s orders.
A back complaint and difficulties standing and walking have seen her cancel a number of engagements, including recent church events to mark Easter.
A bout of Covid-19 in February left her “very tired and exhausted”, she admitted earlier this month.
But William’s brother Prince Harry told US broadcaster NBC in an interview aired on Wednesday that she was “on great form” when he saw her last week.
The queen was last seen in public at Westminster Abbey in central London on March 29 at a memorial service for her late husband Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99.
The queen’s enforced retreat from public life in her Platinum Jubilee year has increased attention on the succession and future of the monarchy.
Her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, has assumed more of his mother’s responsibilities in preparation to take over the throne.
His popularity has increased in recent years, according to an Ipsos poll of more than 2,000 adults in Britain in March.
But his 43 per cent approval rating is still well behind that of his mother (69 per cent), his eldest son Prince William (64 per cent) and his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton (60 per cent).
Some 42 per cent of those surveyed also said they believed Charles, 73, should step aside for William, who turns 40 in June.
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