A three-day celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday began Friday with a national service of thanksgiving for her 90th birthday at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
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Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926, to Prince Albert, Duke of York – later King George VI, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and is now the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, will join the Trooping the Color parade, traveling by vintage carriage.
Other well-known figures to be honoured were England cricket captain Alastair Cook, former England soccer player Alan Shearer and Jamie Murray, who topped the tennis doubles rankings this year – the first British man to be a world No 1 since computerised rankings were introduced in the 1970s.
The Patron’s Lunch – celebrating the Queen’s patronage of over 600 charities and organizations – will be held on The Mall, the road leading to Buckingham Palace.
In her younger years, the Queen would ride side-saddle on horseback to greet the public.
Another soldier also collapsed during Trooping the Colour rehearsals last month, while guardsman have previously collapsed during the main events over the previous few years.
Somewhere, centuries ago, someone figured out that you’d have a better chance of a nice day for a parade in London if you picked a Saturday in June.
The monarch attended the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony in style – an event she has taken part in every year of her reign, except in 1955 when it was cancelled due to a national rail strike.
On Saturday spectators will see the traditional pomp and military splendour of Trooping the Colour – also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade – and on Sunday a street party for 10,000 revellers will be staged in The Mall with other smaller events across the country. There, they will behold a display of pageantry comprising more than 1,400 officers and soldiers, 400 musicians and 200 horses.
Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft used in the 1940s Battle of Britain took part in the flypast, capped off with the air force’s famous Red Arrows flying with red, white and blue smoke in the trail. There will also be a flotilla of historic boats on the River Thames. “Today we recognise that God knew”.
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IBTimes UK rounds up the Queen’s big birthday weekend including when and where to watch the televised celebrations; so get your Victoria sponge and pots of tea at the ready as the regal revelries get under way.
