Queen Elizabeth II has posed with two of her ponies in a photo released to mark her 96th birthday on Thursday.
The image was commissioned by the Royal Windsor Horse Show and shows the monarch with her fell ponies, Bybeck Nightingale and Bybeck Katie.
A fell pony is a versatile, working breed of mountain and moorland pony originating in the north of England and used as a riding and driving pony.
The photo was taken at Windsor Castle.
The Queen has been keeping out of the public eye — after recovering from COVID-19 earlier this year, her public appearances were limited by unspecified "mobility issues".
And she will mark her birthday privately at the Sandringham estate that has offered her and her late husband, Prince Philip, a refuge from the affairs of state.
The monarch is well-known for her passion for horses and ponies — and this year's Royal Windsor Horse Show will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
More than 1,000 performers and 500 horses will enact key moments of royal history dating back to Tudor times.
Trooping the Colour to begin Jubilee celebrations
The Trooping the Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, will take place on June 2 and will include more than 1,200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division.
A beacon will be lit in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace to mark the Jubilee, with beacons also lit in the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK territories overseas.
On June 3 a Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen's reign will be held at St Paul's Cathedral.
The next day there will be a party at Buckingham Palace, with some of the world's biggest stars expected to perform, though no names have been released at this stage.
On June 5, there will be a Big Jubilee Lunch, with street parties taking place across the UK to mark the end of the Bank Holiday.
Finally, a Platinum Jubilee Pageant will be held in London which will tell the story of the Queen's 70-year reign. The pageant will include a "river of hope" section that includes 200 silk flags intended to appear like a river as it travels down The Mall.
In July, displays will be put up by the Royal Collection Trust at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh to mark the Queen's rise to the throne.
ABC/AP
