90 stunning photographs marking the Queen's 90th birthday
She’s our longest reigning monarch, the iconic face of the nation and the most prestigious elder Stateswoman in the world.
But, as these 90 beautiful pictures show, the Queen has always risen to the occasion with grace, dignity and often a touch of humour.
From her early life as a carefree girl, where she was educated at home with her sister Princess Margaret, to meeting heads of state, the world’s biggest celebrities and thousands of ordinary people, much of the Queen’s life has been captured on camera.
Photographs have captured Royal births, marriages, including the Queen’s own toPrince Philip, and some of the biggest events our country has seen in the last 90 years.
From her early childhood, to her time as a mechanic during World War 2, and from State functions to her happiest times on her estate at Balmoral with her family and beloved dogs, the photos are an insight into the life of our longest reigning monarch.
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A royal childhood
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Our future Queen: 1929, Princess Elizabeth in a pram in the park
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Little Princess: Elizabeth and a Highland Regiment Drummer, during a visit to Scotland
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Growing up: Princess Elizabeth walking through the rain on her arrival home
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1933 : Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret dressed as brownies
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1936 : July. Princess Elizabeth with two corgi dogs at her home at 145 Piccadilly, London
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It's a family affair: May 1937: (L-R) Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), Princess Elizabeth (the present Queen Elizabeth II), Princess Margaret and King George VI after his coronation, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London
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Boating tales: Princess Elizabeth (left, later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret with their nurse Marion Crawford on a trip down the river
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Model behaviour: A portrait of Princess Elizabeth taken at Windsor Castle during 1940
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Family picture: Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret during the 1940s in the garden of Windsor
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1945: Princess Elizabeth of England (future queen Elizabeth II) young as second subaltern in ATS
A young woman in love
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Bridesmaid duties: 1946, The wedding group at the reception held at Broadlands, the Mountbatten home, Princess Elizabeth bottom right
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It's official: November 1947, Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten photographed after their wedding
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The wave: The wedding party on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip
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Starting a family: Princess Elizabeth, with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1951, with Prince Charles, and Princess Anne, their children in the grounds of Clarence House, their London residence
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A touching moment: Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip with their two children Prince Charles and Princess Anne
Becoming Queen
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1952: Queen Elizabeth II (left) with Queen Mary (centre) and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (1900 - 2002) at King George VI's funeral
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History in the making: Queen Elizabeth II receives the homage of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at their coronation in Westminster Abbey
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All smiles: The Royal Family on Balcony at Buckingham Palace, London, pictured after Coronation
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Official jewels: Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown and the Duke of Edinburgh in uniform of Admiral of the Fleet
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Opening of Parliament: 1952, Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, opened Parliament for the first time in her reign.
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Concert time: Our majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh in the Royal Box at the Royal Albert Hall for a concert in aid of British and Netherlands Flood Relief Funds
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Sneak Peak: The Queen taking a cine-film of the historic hand over of escort duty from the cruiser Sheffield
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Merry Christmas: Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 making her Christmas broadcast to the people of the Commonwealth from Government House, Auckland, New Zealand
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April 1955: Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by Lady Churchill and Sir Winston Churchill, as she arrives for a dinner party at No. 10 Downing Street
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Royal wave: February 1956, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip waving at Kaduna, Nigeria during the Royal tour of Africa
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Glamourous: Queen Elizabeth II in a beautiful gown is accompanied by Guy Mollet on her arrival at the Louvre for the banquet given in her honour by the French Government
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Traditional Christmas: December 1957, The Queen, in a gold lame dress, makes the traditional Christmas Day broadcast
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April 1959: Queen Elizabeth II in Badminton Great Park as she attends the second day of the Badminton Horse Trials. Behind her is Princess Margaret and the Duke of Beaufort
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April 1960: Queen Elizabeth II and President Charles de Gaulle of France leave Victoria Station in an open carriage on their processional drive to Buckingham Palace
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Family time: September 1960, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with their children Princess Anne, Prince Charles (right) and Prince Andrew on his first holiday to Balmoral
On Royal duty
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1960 : Queen Elizabeth II makes her way to a dais to watch the Durbar of the Ashanti Chiefs in Ghana
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June 1961: American President John Kennedy (right) and his wife Jacqueline (2nd left) pictured with Queen Elizabeth II (2nd right) and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace, in London
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1961: Queen Elizabeth II, on elephant with Maharaja of Jaipur, waving to crowd while riding through palace on visit during republic's 13th anniversary
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On The Red Carpet: July 1963, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, wearing their Order of the Thistle robes, after the Order's service in Edinburgh
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State Opening: 1964, Queen Elizabeth II in official dress for the event
A growing family
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Happy Birthday: April 1965, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II holding Prince Edward surrounded by her family, (L-R) the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne, at Windsor on the occasion of her 39th birthday
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Family memories: April 1968, The Royal Family in the grounds of Frogmore House
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July 1969: Queen Elizabeth II presents her son, the Prince of Wales at the King's Gate at Caernarfon Castle after his investiture
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July 1969: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh with the Prince of Wales during his investiture at Caernarfon Castle
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1971: HM The Queen on horseback looking towards Balmoral Castle
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1972 : HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on the Estate at Balmoral Castle, Scotland during the Royal Family's annual summer holiday 22nd August
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Say Cheese: November 1972, The Royal Family pose at In Buckingham Palace, (L-R) The Prince Of Wales, Prince Edward, Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke Of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew And Princess Anne
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1972: HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Prince Andrew, HRH The Prince Edward and HRH The Princess Anne in front of Balmoral Castle, Scotland
Travelling the globe
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All White Everything: 1977, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh attend the State Opening of Parliament in New Zealand in 1977
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Open Air: March 1977, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in an open Landrover at Queens Park, Invercargill, New Zealand
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Attention!: Queen Elizabeth II inspecting a guard of honour at Brisbane Airport on her arrival from Canberra
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February 1979: Queen Elizabeth II in Bahrain as part of her extensive tour of the Gulf States, accompanied by the Emir of Bahrain, Sheikh Isa bin Sulman Al-Khalifa
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One for the album: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh taking photographs during their visit to the South Sea Islands of Tuvalu
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Vision In Yellow: October 1982, Queen Elizabeth II at the Commonwealth Games Foundation, at the closing ceremony of the games in Brisbane
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Inspection time: November 1983, Queen Elizabeth II inspects the Guard of Honour at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
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November 1983: Queen Elizabeth II (centre front) surrounded by forty Prime Ministers and Presidents of the Commonwealth after the first day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in New Delhi
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Vision In Mustard: November 1985, Queen Elizabeth II, watched by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie (L), and Dr John Habgood, Archbishop of York (R), addressing the General Synod of the Church of England at Church House in Westminster
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1985: Prince Charles kisses the hand of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at a polo match
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1986: Queen Elizabeth II viewing some of the Terracotta Army soldier statues, Shaanxi Province in China
Head of The Firm
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July 1986: Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson they kiss on the balcony at Buckingham Palace as the Queen watches on
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Wakey Wakey: April 1986: Prince Andrew with his fiancee, Sarah Ferguson and his mother, the Queen, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the day of the Queen's 60th birthday
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Time For Tea: Oct 1986, Queen Elizabeth II sips Dragon Well tea at a 400-year-old tea house in the old quarter of the city
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June 1989: The Queen At The Derby Races With Her Private Secretary Sir William Heseltine
Kent Gavin
December 1990: Princess Eugenie outside church after being christened being held by her Mother Duchess Of York with her Father Prince Andrew with The Queen, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice and Prince William
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April 1991: HM The queen attending a banquet given in her honour by the Polish President, Lech Walesa, at Claridges in London
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October 1992: Royalty - Queen Elizabeth II - 40th Anniversary of Accession - Earl's Court
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May 1993: Queen Elizabeth II at the state banquet at Budapest's Parliament during her state visit
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October 1993: Queen Elizabeth II inspects a guard of honour on her arrival at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus
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February 1994: Queen Elizabeth II meets local brownies during her three day visit to Belize
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May 1995: Queen Elizabeth II and her youngest son, Prince Edward, watch the carriage driving championships during a visit to the Royal Windsor Horse Show
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February 1996: The Queen greets the Kuwaiti ambassador to Britain, Khalid Al-Duwaisan at a St Paul's Cathedral service February 28, to dedicate a memorial to British servicemen who were killed in the Gulf War
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October 1997: The Queen leaving the St.Giles Cathedral, in Edinburgh today (Sunday), where she attended a Civic Service on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
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July 1998: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are confronted by a shark as they walk through the observation tunnel
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Summertime: The Queen hosts one of her Summer garden parties at Buckingham Palace
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Nov 1999: The Queen is welcomed by traditional Mozambican dancers at the Polana Hotel, Maputo, Mozambique
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Feb 2000: The Queen meets local school children at RAF Marham in Norfolk, during a one day visit to the base in her capacity as Honourary Air Commodore
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June 2000: Queen Elizabeth II and The Queen Mother watch the Derby at Epsom
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All laughs: June 2001 Queen Elizabeth II laughs the Vodafone Derby from the Royal Box at Epsom Downs in Surrey
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Nov 2001: British Queen Elizabeth II meets Jennifer Lopez backstage at the Dominion Theatre after the Royal Variety Performance
No sign of slowing down
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May 2002: Elizabeth II at work aboard the Royal train near Darlington
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June 2002: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd as she rides in the Gold State coach from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral for a service of Thanksgiving to celebrate to her Golden Jubilee
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June 2003: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, stand on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with their grandchildren Prince Harry and Prince William during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony
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August 2003: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrive with the Prince of Wales for the second day of Royal Ascot. The race meeting is one of the highlights of the summer social calendar
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2004: HM The Queen Elizabeth II with HRH Prince Philip during Trooping The Colour at Whitehall in London, Great Britain
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2005: HM The Queen Elizabeth II holds a bouquet of posies during a visit to Kinlochleven in the Scottish Highlands
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HM The Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh re-visit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007.
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2009: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leaving Buckingham Palace in a carriage as she heads to the official State Opening of Parliament
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Queen Elizabeth II wears 3 D glasses to watch a display and pilot a JCB digger, during a visit to the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research centre, on November 18, 2010
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Queen Elizabeth II looks at an Australian rules football during her visit to Clontarf Aboriginal college on October 27, 2011 in Perth
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Prince Charles kisses the hand of Queen Elizabeth II on stage after the Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in London, on June 4, 2012
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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip the Investec Epsom Derby
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2012 : Queen Elizabeth II attending an official function at King's College in London
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2013 : Queen Elizabeth II after the State Opening of Parliament
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2015: Britain's Queen Elizabeth delivers her speech to the House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster, during the State Opening of Parliament, in London
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Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Queen Elizabeth II delivery office in Windsor with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on April 20, 2016 in Windsor, Britain
