90th Birthday Celebrations of Queen Elizabeth: May and June 2016

[GracieGiraffe]

These photos are all breathtaking.. I can't tell you which is my favorite, although little Mia holding the Queen's black purse..

 

[suztav]

One question -- I see George and Charlotte, Louise and James, Isla and Savannah -- who is the other little girl?

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Princess Charlotte Joins Queen In New Portrait

 

[GracieGiraffe]

So now that I'm studying the children

Louise could be the sister of the young Lillibet and Margaret Rose
James is his father's mini-me
Savannah is all her mother; Isla is her grandmother
Mia.. hard to say, perhaps her father
George.. Mike Middleton
Charlotte, a Windsor

 

[suztav]

One question -- I see George and Charlotte, Louise and James, Isla and Savannah -- who is the other little girl?

Oops! I forgot about Mia!

 

[Biri]

I would love to to see the picture of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with all their descendants and their respective spouses.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Prince Charles leads tribute to his mother the Queen on 90th birthday | Royal | News | Daily Express

The heir to the throne described the years since her 21st birthday speech in South Africa back in 1947 – when she vowed to devote her life to service – as the Age of Elizabeth.

“As we celebrate her 90th birthday, she, like all of us, can reflect on a life that has inspired and encouraged millions of people in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world,” said Charles, 67, who will host a private Royal Family dinner for the Queen at Windsor tonight.

“In many ways, it’s a life that has defined our age.”

 

[Countessmeout]

Can someone post a link to the other photos (like the dogs). The only ones I can find are the grandkids and Anne (and the heir one from the other day)

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

It's midnight in the UK! Happy 90th birthday to my beloved, amazing and iconic Queen. You make me proud to be half-British.

 

[TortillaChips]

https://twitter.com/victoriaarbiter/status/722925248639729665

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

The Queen's 90th birthday marks release of 3 poignant portraits | Daily Mail Online

What a great granny! Queen cuddles Princess Charlotte as she poses with Royal youngsters, daughter Anne and her beloved corgis in three poignant portraits to mark her 90th birthday today

It is a portrait not only of a monarch, but of a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother too.

Taken by renowned American photographer Annie Leibovitz at Windsor Castle last month, this remarkable picture – which, in its lighting and composition, echoes the great royal oil paintings of the past – has been released by Buckingham Palace to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday today.

It was, said one who was involved in the process, a deliberate decision by the sovereign. For as much as this day has become a national celebration, it is also very much a family event too. After all, Elizabeth is a proud great-grandmother five times over.

The Queen is seen for the first time cuddling the youngest of her family, 11-month-old Princess Charlotte, in the picture which was taken just after Easter in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor.

 

[Skippyboo]

The full shot does look like an oil painting like you seen with Charles I and his family. The little great grandkids with their outfits look like they could be extras on Call a The Midwife. It kinda makes it look like it could have been taken 50 years ago.


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[Daria_S]

I love the new photos, my favorites being the one with the grandchildren and great-grandchildren and the one with the corgis. Mia and the handbag is just precious. These photos will be great keepsakes.


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[ROYAL NORWAY]

Queen's birthday: Heartwarming photos of monarch surrounded by her family and corgis | Royal | News | Daily Express

Happy Birthday Your Majesty: Heartwarming new photo shows Queen at 90 surrounded by family

She holds her youngest great-grandchild, 11-month-old Princess Charlotte, in her arms in the tradition of royal portraiture for the picture, taken by American celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.

The photo, one of three released by Buckingham Palace today to mark the monarch's milestone birthday, brings together the youngest members of the immediate Royal Family with the head of state in an intimate, touching image.

First minister celebrates the Queen's 'incredible bond' with Scotland on her birthday | UK | News | Daily Express

First minister celebrates the Queen's 'incredible bond' with Scotland on her birthday

The Royal Banner - the Lion Rampant - will be flown from the main Scottish Government building on Thursday 21 April as a mark of Her Majesty's big day.

The First Minister said: "Many congratulations on behalf of the people of Scotland to Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of her 90th birthday.

"Just last year, we were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate with Her Majesty as she became the United Kingdom's longest serving monarch on the day she also opened the new Borders Railway.

"Over the course of that incredible day, it was clear the huge affection Her Majesty had for Scotland and the incredible bond she has forged with the people who live here over her many years of dedicated public service.

"Many thousands across the country will be toasting Her Majesty today as she marks this wonderful milestone and I am delighted that there will be more opportunities for people across Scotland to help her celebrate when she makes her annual visit during Royal Week."

How the Queen became a style icon | Royal | News | Daily Express

Ascending to the throne at just 26 years of age, she was already aware of the spotlight placed on her late father, King George VI, the first monarch whose Coronation was televised, and the power of this new media. As she took her oath at Westminster Abbey in 1953, the world was presented with a fairytale Queen wearing one of the most magnificent gowns of the modern age.

Over eight months a team of seamstresses and embroiderers at Norman Hartnell’s London atelier had toiled to create a sumptuous duchesse satin dress embellished with intricately beaded motifs symbolising the Commonwealth nations.

It was, quite simply, majestic. Here was a woman in her prime, resplendent in one of the finest couture gowns ever made, shining as a beacon of hope in post-war Britain. Her subjects looked to her for regal glamour and she provided it in abundance.

As such, Queen Elizabeth II set the tone for her entire monarchy, creating a working wardrobe that fulfilled all the expectations of the watching world. Knowing she would be scrutinised wherever she went, every outfit has been strategically planned to perform its royal duties, purveying status and dignity with style and grace.

 

[Skippyboo]

Charlotte has some toy in her hands if you blow it up you can see its legs. Isla has Philip's arms behind the back pose mastered


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[AdmirerUS]

Annie Leibovitz is a treasure. Her color and exposure are always spot on and her depth of field is perfect.
We may be having a completely idiotic election season, but we can always rely on Annie Leibovitz to rep our artistic side. (We being the US)
I hope some day we get to see the stuff that was not selected.
I love the portrait with Anne and it makes me miss my Mom. I also love the other two, very personal photos.

 

[Queen Camilla]

Great picture of mother and daughter.
Anne has her mother's eyes and forehead.

Nice to have a picture of the Queen with her youngest family members.

The quality of the picture is too dark and Mia, Savannah and Charlotte are almost unrecognizable. Everyone is dress in tones of pink and/or blue.

Mia given the great responsibility of holding Gan-Gan's treasured purse.

Isla looks like Princess Anne.

All the children look lovely and well behaved.

The Queen looks very happy and content.

 

[Erin9]

I would love to to see the picture of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with all their descendants and their respective spouses.

I'd like to see that too.

But, I do love the 3 photos we got. They're just beautiful.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Her Majesty the Queen celebrates 90th birthday - ITV News

Happy birthday your Majesty! New photographs of Queen at 90 by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz - ITV News

A set of new official photographs of the Queen have been released to mark her 90th birthday today.

Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz took the three images just after Easter, including an historic shot of the Queen surrounded by her two youngest grandchildren and her five great-grandchildren.

Her Majesty is also pictured in an informal shot on a sofa with her only daughter Princess Anne, while another shows her walking her four dogs, a mixture of corgis and dorgis (Corgi-Daschund mix).

Beacons to be lit to mark the Queen's 90th birthday - ITV News

On Thursday 21st April, a series of beacons will be lit across the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories to mark the Queen's 90th Birthday.

The event is being organised by Bruno Peek, who also organised beacon lighting to mark the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

Watch this video - He is referring to the Queen's time on the throne as the modern Elizabethan Era:
Prime Minister: Queen has been rock of strength' for the country and the world - ITV News

In a special video message released for the Queen's 90th birthday, Prime Minister David Cameron said she has been "a rock of strength" for the country and the world.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the "extraordinary times" during Her Majesty's long reign.
From the Second World War to the rations with which she bought the material for her wedding dress.

From presenting the World Cup to England at Wembley in 1966 to man landing on the moon three years later.

From the end of the Cold War to peace in Northern Ireland.

Throughout it all, as the sands of culture shift and the tides of politics ebb and flow, Her Majesty has been steadfast - a rock of strength for our nation, for our Commonwealth and on many occasions for the whole world.

As her grandson, Prince William has said: 'Time and again, quietly and modestly, The Queen has shown us all that we can confidently embrace the future without compromising the things that are important.

 

[Skippyboo]

It would be fun to see what the Queen was seeing from her view with all the kids' parents trying to get the kids attention.


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[ROYAL NORWAY]

Read more:Happy birthday, Your Majesty*

Such a rapid transformation of society would be disconcerting to most people as they grow older; but when you are also head of state, adapting to this changing world is essential in order to avoid appearing aloof and out of touch. It is to the Queen’s great credit that she has managed this transition to modernity with such good grace and dignity.

Indeed, it is particularly impressive since she was not intended for the role she plays today. Her father’s brother was the heir and no one could have anticipated the circumstances that resulted in his abdication 10 years later.

From late 1936, when King George VI ascended to the Throne, Elizabeth’s life changed utterly and became a preparation for an adulthood spent in the service of the nation.

By dint of her great age she is the only head of state most of her subjects will have known. And that is the point: she is the head of state. It suits republicans to portray the Monarchy as some quaint Ruritanian anachronism, expensive to run, elitist, irrelevant, distant and obsolete.

But they completely misunderstand the symbolism of the role. When we celebrate the Queen’s official birthday later this summer or her Jubilees, we are not merely saluting the person but the nation that she personifies.

We do not have a national day, as republics such as America or France do, which are invariably linked to some violent moment in their history. But monarchical milestones are our opportunity to embrace and cheer the essence of the nation: its myth and continuity, and the renewal of an ancient contractual relationship between state and people.

Such symbolism is not possible with elected heads of state, here today and gone tomorrow. It is what makes this country different, unique even, and its loss would be incalculable.

Moreover, a constitutional monarchy acts as a restraint on abuse of power especially when it has been in the same, safe hands for so long. During the Queen’s reign there have been 12 prime ministers, she has signed more than 3,500 Bills into law and opened Parliament nearly 60 times.

She will do so again next month, God willing, showing remarkable dedication, stamina and fitness in one of her age. The same qualities apply to her husband and constant companion, the Duke of Edinburgh, her “rock and stay”.

We too easily knock ourselves as a nation without seeing what many outsiders admire and envy: our history, our stability, our institutions – all of which come together in the Queen and the position she occupies.

Her lifetime has seen that country change profoundly and yet the monarchy, while adapting to the new demotic realities, has managed to stay every bit as vital: more accessible, less expectant of deference and less stuffy perhaps, but still a line back into our past.

It has been the Queen’s accomplishment to have kept the monarchy relevant at a time when it could have been overrun by the forces of modernism.

The Queen stands for family, community and country, a passive patriotism that most of her subjects understand and appreciate. Her loyal service to her people is reciprocated by their loyalty to her, and to what she stands for.

In times gone by, the British have retained a love for monarchy even when they have not loved the monarch; nowadays, under the glare of a media spotlight that never used to exist — even at the beginning of the Queen’s reign – the affection in which she is held is an important bulwark for the institution itself.

Her Majesty has reached the age of 90 blessed with an extraordinary physical constitution inherited from her mother, the late Queen Mother, who lived until she was over 100.

In wishing her Happy Birthday, we can only hope the Queen will one day be obliged to send herself a telegram, or its modern equivalent, on achieving the same milestone.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2016/04/20/restricted_the_queen_at_90_news-xlarge.jpg

 

[Curryong]

A wonderful tribute and very true.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The quality of the picture is too dark and Mia, Savannah and Charlotte are almost unrecognizable. Everyone is dress in tones of pink and/or blue.

I have read that HM wanted something that resembled the older style of paintings and hence the darker hues than is normal in the early 21st century. To a large extend HM is still a woman of the mid-20th and not of the early 21st and in other ways she is very much a person of the present.

Mia given the great responsibility of holding Gan-Gan's treasured purse.

In the same article I read the above I read that Mia simply picked it up - nothing about being given the responsibility at all - just a spontaneous moment captured on film.

Isla looks like Princess Anne.

All the children look lovely and well behaved.

All children can look well-behaved in an instant - and that is all this is - a fraction on one second in time.

The Queen looks very happy and content.

To me she looks unsure of herself. She doesn't seem all that comfortable with the children and certainly holding Charlotte she looks tentative (I wonder, i like the famous photo of Queen Victoria holding one of her great-grandchildren there is a staff member kneeling down behind her actually holding Charlotte.)

The Queen looks happiest with Anne and the dogs - nothing new there as she has always looked happiest with dogs and horses or with Philip or Anne. She always looks tense when with her sons or grandchildren - as if wondering where the next crisis will come from ...

 

[Skippyboo]

She seemed happy in the stamp photo with Charles, William and George. She sure booked it over KP to see newborn George and Charlotte.


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[Queen Camilla]

Any official or reliable source that Prince Charles will host a 90th birthday dinner for the Queen at Windsor with 60 invited guest?

Only two unreliable tabloids have made this claim.

If it is true, hopefully there are images of the guest arriving.

 

[Skippyboo]

It will probably be mostly family so sort of like the Christmas BP lunch where you just get the driving through the palace gates.


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[royal rob]

Wonderful photo of the Queen and little ones. I think Mia stole the show with the hand bag


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[ROYAL NORWAY]

To me she looks unsure of herself. She doesn't seem all that comfortable with the children and certainly holding Charlotte she looks tentative (I wonder, i like the famous photo of Queen Victoria holding one of her great-grandchildren there is a staff member kneeling down behind her actually holding Charlotte.)

The Queen looks happiest with Anne and the dogs - nothing new there as she has always looked happiest with dogs and horses or with Philip or Anne. She always looks tense when with her sons or grandchildren - as if wondering where the next crisis will come from ...

Not to be rude, but that is completely wrong. She is the opposite. I could have posted a lot of pictures/wideos, but not here in the birthday thread.

The Queen has a very good relationship with her children/grandchildren and they all talk about her kindness, sense of humour and how easy she is to talk to.

Her staffers say the same, and as Sophie said in the Sky News documentary: The shildren adore her, and she's alwais in control. And she newer looks unsure/uncomfortable with children or when she held Charlotte, but she is 90.

And you don't need to answer me, because we will never agree anyway.

 

[amaryllus]

Is it just me or does Isla look uncannily like William at that age?

 

[Countessmeout]

I can see it a bit. Not surprising though as Peter and Will look a lot alike, especially when they were younger.