The Queen took a drive around the Sandringham estate as she enjoyed her 96th birthday.
Her Royal Highness’ birthday on Thursday was commemorated with gun salutes across Windsor and London as the monarch spent time at the Norfolk property.
Queen Elizabeth, who is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, was pictured in the front seat of a Range Rover during her visit to Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate.
The UK’s longest-serving monarch was wearing a patterned headscarf and glasses as she was driven by a chauffeur on the morning of her birthday.
Later in the day, the Queen’s birthday was celebrated with several gun salutes across the country.
In London, there was a 62 Gun Royal Salute at the Tower of London as well as a 41 gun salute at Hyde Park.
At Windsor Castle, the Band of the Coldstream Guards played Happy Birthday to celebrate the monarch’s big day and there was another gun salute in Windsor Great Park.
The Queen reportedly travelled by helicopter from Windsor Castle to Sandringham, where she is expected to spend a few days and mark her birthday with a low-key celebration. No public engagements have been scheduled for her 96th birthday.
The sprawling country estate was also known as the home where her late husband, Prince Phillip, spend most of his time following retirement from public duties in 2017.
Elizabeth’s morning drive came a day after The Royal Windsor Horse show released a new portrait of the monarch alongside her ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.
Shared on the Royal Family Twitter page, the Queen was pictured in a dark green coat as she stood between the majestic white horses in front of a white magnolia tree.
A caption alongside the picture revealed that the photograph had been taken last month, reading: “Taken last month in the grounds of Windsor Castle, The Queen is pictured with two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale. Happy Birthday Your Majesty!”
The ponies are also expected to appear in an equestrian show called A Gallop through History that is scheduled for the Platinum Jubilee.
The official Twitter account of the Royal Family also released another picture to mark the Queen’s birthday that featured the monarch at the tender age of two years old.
The caption read: “Today as The Queen turns 96, we’re sharing this photograph of the young Princess Elizabeth aged 2. Then, in 1928, it was never expected she would be Queen, and this year Her Majesty is celebrating her #PlatinumJubilee - a first in British history.”
