Taking the photograph was Royal Mail photographer Ranald Mackechnie.
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Another shows the queen with Princess Anne, her only daughter.
It’s a huge day in Windsor, England, as crowds gather to celebrate a magnificent milestone with one of the most pristine figures on the planet.
“She’s such an icon and a real role model for the children of today”.
Britain celebrated the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday with tributes to a popular monarch who has steered it through the decline of empire and a wave of scandals to the Internet age.
Ms. Leibovitz, the first American invited to shoot an official portrait of the queen, later described her as “a bit cranky” but “feisty” and praised her devotion to duty.
Gun salutes took place across Britain Thursday to celebrate the 90th birthday of its longest reigning monarch.
As well as the Bolton skyline lit up in the Queen’s honour the council also lit two beacons – on request from the Queen’s Pageant Master- one in Scout Road and another at Bolton Arena.
After chatting briefly, they climbed into the queen’s Range Rover and the 94-year-old Philip drove them to the royal residence, which has been a family home for British monarchs for almost 1,000 years, as trumpets sounded in the distance. Her reign began in 1952 following the passing of her father, King George VI. “She is an astonishing person and a real jewel to the world and not just the United Kingdom”. “I think that she herself… does all the things that she’s proud to do like putting on a crown and opening Parliament and things like that, but at the same time she likes to take her dogs for a walk, talks to the ponies, and pull out weeds she sees”.
An Ipsos MORI poll found 70 percent wanted her to stay queen compared to 21 percent who thought she should abdicate or retire, while a BMG survey for the London Evening Standard newspaper showed 66 percent of Britons had a favourable view of her compared to 10 percent with a negative opinion. Hundreds had lined up hours beforehand, carrying cakes, cards, balloons and Union Jack flags.
The moment has again gone viral on Facebook on her 90th birthday on April 21. Artillery companies fired gun salutes from sites including Hyde Park and the Tower of London, and the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out in celebration.
There was even a tea party aboard Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean, whose crew stood in formation to spell out “EIIR 90” – Elizabeth II Regina, her official monogram – on the flight deck.
“But this, ladies and gentleman, is a very special occasion and this beacon that her majesty is about to light will also represent – as it lights other beacons across the nation – the love and affection with which you are held throughout this country and the Commonwealth”.
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The passage was apt.
