In pictures: Queen's 90th birthday celebrations
- Published
The Queen lit the first of more than 900 beacons that were set alight across the UK and overseas, as part of her 90th birthday celebrations. Pictured here, clockwise from top left, are the beacons in Windsor, Whitby Abbey, Carlisle Castle, and the Royal Hospital Chelsea. (PA/Getty Images/BBC/Getty Images)
Earlier, she made her way through Windsor, stopping to chat to children in the crowd and accepting a gift of flowers. (Getty Images)
Fans of the monarchy were out in force in the royal town. (Reuters)
They had begun gathering early in the morning to welcome the Queen. Some showed their monarchical fervour through their flamboyant dress sense. (Reuters)
The royal couple waved to crowds from the back of a specially converted Range Rover, which drew comparisons with the famous "Popemobile". (AFP)
Some loyal supporters made birthday posters to greet the Queen. (AFP/Getty)
And another well-wisher wore a colourful hat. (PA)
Many of those gathered in Windsor were sporting the colours of the union jack. (Getty Images)
Nadiya Hussain was commissioned to bake a cake for the occasion, and the Queen cut the first ceremonial slice of the impressive confection. The Great British Bake Off winner was filmed by the BBC making the orange drizzle cake, which had a butter cream and marmalade filling. (AFP)
Elsewhere, a team of scientists at the University of Nottingham etched a microscopic birthday message for the Queen - on the hair of a corgi (PA)
And members of the ship's company on HMS Bulwark created a "90" on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship (AFP/Getty Images)
Gun salutes were fired across the UK, including this 62-gun salute from near the Tower of London. (Getty Images)
A 21-gun salute was fired at Hillsborough Castle near Belfast. (PA)
Officer cadets fired a similar salute from Mills Mount Battery at Edinburgh Castle. (Getty Images)
The kilted cadets doffed their caps after completing the salute. (PA)
The King's Troop Artillery were out in London's Hyde Park, where they performed a 41-gun salute. Seventy-one horses were needed to pull the six World War One-era field guns into place to fire the blank shots. A traditional royal salute comprises 21 shots; an extra 20 are fired because Hyde Park is a royal park. (Getty Images)
The gun salutes, generating considerable noise and smoke, were enjoyed by watching crowds. (Getty Images)
Members of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards band played outside Cardiff Castle, ahead of a 21-gun salute in honour of the Queen's birthday. (PA)
The Prince of Wales recorded a special radio broadcast for the day, in which he read an edited passage from William Shakespeare's Henry VIII. The reading, which was broadcast by the BBC, was an extract from a speech by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to King Henry VIII after the birth of the future Queen Elizabeth I.
- Published21 April 2016
- Published20 April 2016
- Published21 April 2016
- Published19 April 2016
