The queen is at the center of the picture, holding the newest addition to the royal family on her lap-11-month-old Princess Charlotte.
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“All of us are here to respect the queen and to show her our affection and how much we appreciate all her years of service and to wish her a happy birthday”, said Donna Werner who had traveled to Windsor from CT in the United States.
Queen Elizabeth II is surrounded by young grandchildren and great-grandchildren in 90th birthday portraits by photographer Annie Leibovitz.
The photograph was taken to celebrate the queen’s 90 birthday today.
On the occasion of the queen’s birthday, the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out along with a gun salute.
The queen and Prince Philip went on a royal walkabout Thursday to greet the crowds gathered outside Windsor Castle to celebrate their beloved monarch. “Long live The Queen!”
The queen usually spends her birthday privately, with most of the pomp and ceremony reserved for an official birthday that’s marked in June.
When the Queen became the nation’s longest-reigning monarch last autumn – passing Queen Victoria’s record – she remarked that living to a ripe old age can bring many anniversaries: “Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones”.
Over the decades Britain has undergone major transformations from technological advances like computers and supersonic flight to developments in society and the political landscape. When Princess Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, her father was a younger son of king and not expected to reign.
One of the images, released Thursday by Buckingham Palace, shows the queen with two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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“I am deeply mindful of Her Majesty’s long and tireless service to the Commonwealth and its citizens”.
