Queen Elizabeth II at 94
The Queen is celebrating her 94th birthday – today we’re looking back at memories from the last nine decades.
From her childhood to her royal duties, hobbies and family life, these images and videos offer a glimpse into the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
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- Queen Elizabeth II was born 21 April 1926. She is pictured here with The Queen Mother and King George VI (then known as the Duchess of York and the Duke of York respectively) at her christening in May the same year.
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- Elizabeth developed into a bright young child, pictured here aged six, in July 1932. She enjoyed her early childhood without the pressure of being the heir apparent; the first decade of her life most did not realise she would someday be Queen. Her father, Prince Albert, was the second son of King George V.
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- The Queen’s only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born four years later, in August 1930. The two were educated privately at home and studied French, mathematics and history along with singing, dancing and art lessons. As a child, Elizabeth was fondly nicknamed Lilibet by her family.
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- The Queen is known for her passion for horses. She learned to ride as a young princess after she received her first pony, Peggy, from her Grandfather King George V. Here, she is pictured with one of the farm horses at Sandringham several months before her 18th birthday.
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- The Queen also has a keen interest in horse racing. Here Queen Elizabeth II animatedly watches the dressage at the Equestrian Olympics at Stockholm, Sweden in 1956 with her sister Princess Margaret.
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- Elizabeth is officially crowned Queen on 2 June 1953, several months after the death of her father. Here she is pictured with The Duke of Edinburgh from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, following Her Majesty’s Coronation at Westminster Abbey.
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- Queen Elizabeth gave birth to four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. She is pictured here with Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew at Balmoral Castle.
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- Queen Elizabeth II has been dedicated to her political duties since her coronation. As a constitutional monarch, she doesn’t weigh in on political matters or share her political views publicly. She does however confer regularly with her prime ministers – there have been 12 during the course of her long reign.
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- The Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, celebrating 60 years as ruling monarch. Today, she is the longest serving British Monarch in history. She is pictured here on board Gloriana, the Royal Barge, which carried her down the River Thames with an 1000-strong flotilla for the Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
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- Every year we celebrate the official birthday of the Queen with the Trooping of the Colour in June. The annual event on the Horse Guards Parade is a chance for the Queen to carry out an inspection of the troops from the Household Division and is beloved for its pageantry.
The Queen viewing the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London in 1994
The Queen is pictured on July 21 2006 ahead of embarking on a cruise around the Western Isles with her family to celebrate her 80th birthday
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fires a 41-gun royal salute to mark the Queen’s 93rd birthday in Hyde Park, London, last April – there will be no gun salutes this year because of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown
A Buckingham Palace source said the Queen’s birthday will not be marked in any special way this year
Any phone or video calls she has with family will be kept private
The bells of Westminster Abbey will also stay silent on her birthday for the first time in more than a decade
The church where the monarch was married and crowned is currently closed, meaning the celebratory peal will not be able to go ahead
The Queen is with her husband of 72 years, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Windsor Castle in Berkshire
The couple are at the castle with a reduced household for their protection
But this year, the royals are staying away from one another as they follow the social distancing rules amid the coronavirus pandemic
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are at Anmer Hall in Norfolk with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
They used their Kensington Palace social media accounts to share birthday congratulations for William’s grandmother
They wished the monarch a happy birthday alongside a picture of William and Kate showing the Queen around the duchess’s garden at the Chelsea Flower Show last year
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s Twitter account also sent its birthday wishes
The prince is at Birkhall in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with Camilla
The Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex are all in their own separate homes around the country
The Queen made a special broadcast earlier this month as the country faces an uncertain period during lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic
Quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth are displayed in London’s Piccadilly Circus
The royal family’s Instagram Stories shared facts and photos about the Queen’s childhood as part of activities for parents who are homeschooling to coincide with the week of her birthday
The Queen on Video
Pictures might say a thousand words, but nothing brings the past to life so vividly as video. Here are some of the most fascinating clips of Queen Elizabeth II throughout the years.
Queen Elizabeth II: watch how Her Majesty has changed
Clips of The Queen as a child
The Queen at the Diplomatic reception
The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast 1957
Diamond Jubilee weekend: The Thames Pageant
What are your favourite memories of The Queen?
Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor
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