Celebrations for the Queen’s 90th birthday begin this week, kickstarting a wealth of festivities stretching throughout the year.
From a walkabout in Windsor on her actual birthday to a horsey extravaganza in May and a service, parade and street party in June, it will be a high-profile event.
Here is how the Queen’s 90th birthday is being celebrated:
The Queen will be at Windsor on her birthday and in the run-up to the big day. Every year, the monarch takes up official residence in Windsor Castle for a month over Easter – known as Easter Court.
APRIL 20 – THE DAY BEFORE THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will meet postmen and women on a visit to the Royal Mail Windsor delivery office in the Berkshire town to mark the 500th anniversary of the postal service.
Royal Mail will unveil a series of celebratory stamps in honour of the Queen on the same day.
The monarch will also officially open a new bandstand in Alexandra Gardens, close to Windsor Castle.
APRIL 21 – THE QUEEN’S ACTUAL BIRTHDAY
A walkabout in Windsor on Thursday April 21 with the Duke of Edinburgh will be the first of two engagements on the Queen’s birthday.
The monarch will unveil a plaque to mark The Queen’s Walkway – a four-mile self-guided walking trail by The Outdoor Trust in honour of the Queen becoming the country’s longest reigning monarch – at the foot of Castle Hill, before setting off on a walkabout.
The Queen, joined by Philip, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, will also light the first beacon in a chain of more than 1,000 across the country and worldwide.
Gun salutes will be fired in London from a royal park and from the Tower of London. Bells will ring at Westminster Abbey, where the Queen was married and crowned, from 1pm.
PRIVATE CELEBRATIONS
The Queen will also enjoy her own celebrations behind closed doors. Eldest son Charles is hosting a private birthday party for his mother at Windsor Castle on April 21.
Past parties for the Queen included a belated 80th birthday at the Ritz, while for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 90th, Philip was treated to dinner at Michel Roux’s Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, by his grandchildren.
EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY
Clean For The Queen – the campaign to tidy the country ready for the monarch’s birthday – took place in March, but drew criticism, with people taking to Twitter to deride the event.
Gloucestershire Women’s Institute is marking the occasion by “yarn bombing” the local area on Saturday April 23. They will be decorating trees, lampposts and benches with colourful knitted, crocheted or wrapped yarn in honour of “very special WI member” the Queen.
OBAMA COMES FOR LUNCH
US president Barack Obama will drop in on the Queen at Windsor Castle soon after her birthday on his way back from Saudi Arabia.
Mr Obama and his family forged a warm relationship with the royals during the president’s time in office. He will come bearing a birthday gift for the sovereign and join her for lunch at her much-loved Berkshire residence.
MAY 2 – CHARLOTTE’S BIRTHDAY
In between the Queen’s actual birthday and her official one comes another family celebration – Princess Charlotte turns one. The Queen attended Prince George’s first birthday party so may also join the Cambridges for her great-granddaughter’s big day.
MAY 12-15 – CELEBRATION AT HOME PARK, WINDSOR CASTLE
Billed as The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration, this is a horsey tribute for a monarch who loves horses.
A theatrical extravaganza will be staged four nights running in Windsor’s Home Park, featuring 900 horses and 1,500 participants.
The show will tell the story of the Queen’s life, and singer Katherine Jenkins will be among those performing.
Members of the Royal Family will attend the show each night, and the Queen will go to the final performance on Sunday May 15, which will be broadcast live on ITV and hosted by TV presenters Ant and Dec.
Seated tickets, which have now sold out, cost between £55 and £195, while a free ballot, which has now closed, was held for 5,000 free tickets to see the pre-performance party on the grass by the Long Walk, celebrities on the red carpet and the show via giant screens with the castle in the backdrop.
JUNE 10-12 – NATIONAL COMMEMORATIONS
A weekend of national commemorations from June 10 to June 12 marks the Queen’s official birthday.
There is a packed schedule of events for the nonagenarian monarch, plus an extension of pub opening hours on Friday and Saturday evenings to help foster a party atmosphere.
On Friday June 10 – which is also the Duke of Edinburgh’s 95th birthday – the royals will be out in force for a televised service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in the Queen’s honour. Politicians – past and present, religious leaders and invited guests will gather to mark the Queen’s 90 years.
Saturday June 11 – the Queen’s official birthday – will see the traditional Trooping the Colour parade and carriage procession. Royal fans will be hoping to catch a glimpse of Charlotte if she makes her first appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony as the Windsors gather for the annual flypast.
June 11 is also the day of the opening matches for England and Wales in football’s Euro 2016 tournament with England’s clash with Russia kicking off at 8pm UK time and the Wales game against Slovakia at 5pm UK time.
The finale of the official celebrations is a mass street party in The Mall on Sunday June 12.
Organised by the Queen’s eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips, the event will see 10,000 revellers – the majority representatives from the Queen’s patronages – sit down to a hamper-style lunch along the London thoroughfare which leads up to the Palace.
A carnival parade will travel along entertaining guests and the Queen and Philip will take to a stage at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of the Palace to listen to speeches, before sitting in a royal box with the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, joint presidents of the event, for part of the day.
Large screens will be erected in nearby Green Park and St James’s Park for the public to watch the festivities for free. The event will also be broadcast on the BBC.
This year’s Big Lunch, when people are encouraged to have lunch with their neighbours in streets and community spaces, also takes place on June 12. It will be the eighth annual Big Lunch event.
Less than two weeks later will be the EU referendum. Royal officials will be hoping the monarch is kept out of the political debate, particularly during her birthday celebrations.
In March, the Palace wrote to the press watchdog to complain over claims in The Sun that the Queen voiced strong Eurosceptic views during a lunch with former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.
JUNE 14-18 – ROYAL ASCOT
Straight after the official celebrations comes Royal Ascot when the Queen heads to the Berkshire racecourse to enjoy her favourite pastime – a day – or several – at the races.
The Gold Cup on Ladies’ Day will be renamed The Gold Cup in Honour of The Queen’s 90th Birthday this year.
