It’s time for a Great British celebration! When London comes alive and all around Great Britain we can raise a glass and say ‘Happy Birthday’ to Her Majesty.
The Queen was born at 2:40am on 21 st April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. As is the case every year, The Queen will celebrate her two birthdays, her actual birthday which is on 21st April and her official public birthday which she will celebrate in grand style in June.
If you’re wondering why she’s lucky enough to have an extra Birthday, well a lot of it comes down to the great British unpredictable weather! Sovereigns' birthday celebrations are often held on a day other than their actual birthday as if the birthday doesn’t fall in the Summer months when the sun is (hopefully!) shining then the likelihood of gloomy weather is high and a little precarious for the fabulous and famous Trooping the Colour Birthday Parade and so this takes place in June!
CREDIT: MARK CUTHBERT/PA/POOL
The Queen will most probably spend her actual birthday on April 21st with her family privately, we will hear those gun salutes in central London at midday on the day: a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London. There may be an opportunity to get a peek of the Queen on a royal walkabout around Windsor if she takes a Birthday stroll.
This year for her official June birthday, it’s is a very special year and Her Majesty’s 90th Birthday will absolutely be celebrated in magnificent style - a Birthday Party fit for a Queen indeed! There will be a weekend of celebrations starting on Friday June 10th. This day is also the Duke of Edinburgh's 95th birthday but apparently he has specified that he does not want any public celebration of the date, he’s remaining low-key, so all eyes will be on the Queen.
The Birthday Celebration has been created by the team that organised the Diamond Jubilee Pageant so expect an extravaganza, with 900 horses and more than 1,500 riders and performers, dancers, bands, LED effects and theatrical lighting. The 90-year journey will take us from the excitement of the Queen’s birth through to World War Two, her marriage, the coronation and her reign of more than 60 years. It will be British Royal pomp and ceremony at its finest! (It will be televised also and Ant and Dec will host you through it if you’re watching on TV).
An Artist impression of how The Mall will look
If you’ve managed to get one of the completely sold out 25,000 tickets, then wave that flag high and proud and have a marvellous time cheering and celebrating our Queen! The weekend roundup of events looks like this:
June 10th 2016 - Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral
The congregation will be made up of the Queen’s invited guests only, but the service will be televised so you can take part from the comfort of your home with a celebratory cup of tea if you wish!
June 11th 2016: Trooping the Colour
This famous Birthday Parade takes place on Horse Guards Parade behind Whitehall. Plenty of opportunity to see the Royal family in their carriages and catch a wave and a salute as they travel to and from Buckingham Palace. The Queen will appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1pm to watch a fly-past.
June 12: The Patron's Lunch
For the finale of the Queen's birthday celebrations, The Mall in London will be transformed into a giant Great British street party for The Patron's Lunch, with 10,000 guests eating a picnic lunch whilst street performers and circus acts entertain. Get baking!
If you don't have a ticket but still want to be part of the magical event in London, there will be giant screens in St James's Park and Green Park, it’s ‘bring your own’ picnics and security will be tight, and no doubt it will be busy so arrive early.
And if you want to get your picnic benches set up, table cloths down and be part of the nationwide celebrations then hang out the bunting and honour the Queen through your own street party too. Get further details here>>
The Queen’s 90th birthday is a great chance for all of us to join in the great British community spirit in honour of Her Majesty!