Mourners have placed floral tributes outside the former townhouse where Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was born, 96 ago, now the site of a high-end Chinese restaurant. Queen Elizabeth, whose state funeral is being held today, died at the majestic Balmoral Castle, but her birthplace was surprisingly normal by Royal Standards.
The then Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on April 21st, 1926 at 17, Bruton Street, an 18th-century townhouse on a bustling street in Mayfair, London. The townhouse, which had belonged to her maternal grandparents the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, was demolished long ago, although the precise date is unknown.
The site is now the location of the Mayfair branch of Hakkasan, a Michelin-starred, modern Chinese cuisine restaurant brand with 10 locations worldwide, as well as a corporate office block. It makes for a far different setting to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen carried out the majority of her royal duties.
