Queen Elizabeth turned 96 on Thursday, with gunfire in London and Windsor, a commemorative photo alongside two white ponies and a Barbie doll launched in her honor.
She traveled from Windsor Castle, west of London, to spend the date at her estate in Sandringham, Norfolk.
The monarch, who celebrates a historic platinum jubilee this year and has stepped back from most public duties this year over health concerns, received happy birthday wishes from British government ministers and members of the royal family.
“An inspiration to so many in the UK, Commonwealth and the world, it is particularly special to celebrate this year’s Platinum Jubilee,” his grandson Prince William and wife Kate wrote on Twitter.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is visiting India, released a video message in which he said he paid “sincere tribute” to “70 years of dedicated and impeccable service to our country and the Commonwealth”.
Toy maker Mattel has released a Barbie doll of Elizabeth, wearing an ivory dress with a blue sash and her wedding tiara, to mark the jubilee.
The Royal Family released on Wednesday (20) a commemorative photo of the anniversary in which the queen appears next to two white ponies, named Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.
Elizabeth became Queen of the United Kingdom and over a dozen other kingdoms, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, on the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952, while she was in Kenya. on an international tour.
The news was given to her by her husband Prince Philip, who died last year at the age of 99 after more than seven decades at his side.
When she ascended the throne, Josef Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung and Harry Truman ran the Soviet Union, China and the United States respectively, and Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister.
Elizabeth tried to steer clear of the spotlight after spending a night in hospital in October for an unspecified illness and being ordered to rest. She got Covid-19 in February and said she got really tired.
The queen has skipped several events recently, but joined other members of her family at a memorial for her husband at London’s Westminster Abbey last month.
