The Queen has been spotted marking her 96th birthday with a drive around her Sandringham estate.
Today is the Queen's birthday and she was seen in the passenger seat of a car wearing a scarf around her head, dark glasses and bold red lipstick.
Her Majesty arrived at her Sandringham estate yesterday in a poignant journey back to Wood Farm, the cottage where her beloved late husband Prince Philip spent much of his time after retiring from royal life in 2017.
The royal couple were then brought back together permanently due to the coronavirus pandemic, living in a special bubble with staff at Windsor Castle until the Duke of Edinburgh’s death at the age of 99 last April.
She has already received birthday wishes from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and gun salutes rang out across London and Windsor and military bands played "Happy Birthday" today.
This year, the Royal Windsor Horse Show will mark the Platinum Jubilee with A Gallop Through History, an equestrian display showcasing horses from across the globe.
It has been billed as a "personal tribute to our monarchy" and will feature more than 500 horses and more than a thousand performers taking the audience on a journey from Elizabeth I to the Queen
The Queen will celebrate her birthday properly at the weekend with a tea party with family and friends, it can be revealed.
Her Majesty may be joined by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children but Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are understood to have remained at their Scottish home, Birkhall after Easter.
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Royal sources said the Queen’s “mini-break” was a “positive step” that she is prepared to make the journey given her ongoing mobility issues, which have recently forced her to miss several high profile public events.
Housekeepers on the estate have been told the Queen may welcome “a small number of guests” over the weekend who will join her for tea and cake as part of a modest celebration.
One royal source said: “The Queen is taking a well earned break and will mark her birthday very modestly this year.
“She feels very at home at Wood Farm and close to her beloved husband and it’s wonderful she was able to travel to enjoy the getaway.”
Earlier today, William and Kate led the birthday tributes to the Queen by calling her an 'inspiration to so many' as they shared the touching family photos to mark her day.
The royal couple also posted an emotional snap with Prince Philip sitting on the sofa with seven of their great-grand children.
Meanwhile, last night, a new portrait of the beaming monarch was released to mark her 96th birthday.
The brand new image shows Her Majesty standing proudly in between two horses wearing green coat with the colour a subtle nod to her beloved Philip.
The new photograph of the Queen was taken in March in the grounds of Windsor Castle by Henry Dallal, who was commissioned to take an official portrait of her to mark her 90th birthday.
On the Queen’s left is the pony Bybeck Nightingale and on her right is Bybeck Katie, and both animals will feature in A Gallop through History - a spectacular equestrian display showcasing horses from across the globe.
Toymaker Mattel launched a commemorative Barbie doll of the queen dressed in an ivory gown with a blue sash and wearing her wedding tiara to mark the jubilee.
