Happy 91st, Queen Elizabeth II

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Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926, the first child of the then Duke and Duchess of York, at 17 Bruton Street, the Mayfair home of her grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.


She also celebrates an "official birthday" which falls on the second Saturday in June.

The Queen has celebrated her 91st birthday by taking part in one of her favourite activities - watching the races at Newbury Racecourse



Her thoroughbred Maths Prize was running at Newbury, and the Queen was seen sharing a joke in the royal box before her horse lined up with six other runners.
But the monarch, joined by her daughter the Princess Royal, was denied a birthday gift from Maths Prize, as it finished fifth.

there was a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park and 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park at midday, ahead of a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London at 13:00 BST.
The event at Windsor - where the Queen is believed to be currently staying - was different to most military salutes however, with children chosen to fire the 1ft (0.3m) cannons.


Four-year-old Zachary was one of the 21 children to be selected to fire a cannon for the Queen's birthday

Buckingham Palace tweeted a picture of the monarch as a baby on her christening day, where she is held by her mother Elizabeth, Duchess of York. They also released a picture of the Queen when she was 21 as she received the Freedom of the City of London - the first significant London ceremony she attended unaccompanied.


The Duke and Duchess of York hold their daughter in a photo dated 1 May 1926


the Queen receiving the Freedom of the City of London

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Clarence House, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's official residence, shared a picture of the Queen and a young Prince Charles from 1952.



Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to the crowds as they tour in Windsor just a day before Queen Elizabeth's 91st Birthday

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Sunday April 16, 2017 file photo of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as she leaves the Easter Sunday service in Windsor Castle

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'Trooping the colour' in London for Queen's official birthday



Trooping the Colour parade on Saturday. A minute's silence was held by the Queen at the start of the parade to remember the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in West London, along with those killed in the recent UK terror attacks in London and Manchester.

The mark of respect followed the release of her Majesty's official birthday message, which stated that it was "difficult to escape a very sombre national mood." The message, which was released on Twitter, read: "Today is traditionally a day of celebration. "This year, however, it is difficult to escape a very sombre national mood."


Her Majesty also said: "In recent months, the country has witnessed a succession of terrible tragedies. As a nation, we continue to reflect and pray for all those who have been directly affected by these events."