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Queen Elizabeth II

Events to mark Queen’s 90th birthday announced by Palace

The first announcement on events to mark The Queen’s 90th birthday next year has been given by Buckingham Palace today, with main events centring around The Queen’s Birthday Parade in mid-June, and with more set to be announced later in the year.

16646823010_ea0a0cc617_bAs well as the annual Queen’s Birthday Parade, on the day before (10th June – also the Duke of Edinburgh’s own birthday), The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will attend a national thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral which will serve as the country’s chance to reflect on The Queen’s 90 years and give thanks both for her longevity and also for her personal service.

On 12th June, Her Majesty will attend a Patron’s Lunch, which will be an opportunity for The Queen – joined by others – to celebrate the patronage of Her Majesty to over 600 charities and organisations in the Commonwealth since her accession to the throne.

Later this year, in early September, Her Majesty will overtake Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning British monarch of all time. Palace officials insist however that the occasion will largely pass without celebration, though The Queen will make an appearance on the day to perform engagements, according to reports.

Instead, as today’s announcement shows, efforts will be put towards The Queen’s 90th birthday – with Her Majesty being the first Sovereign ever to mark such a milestone. The Queen became the oldest Monarch in British history back in 2007, also overtaking Queen Victoria.

The Duke of Edinburgh – already the oldest and longest-serving royal consort – celebrates his own 95th birthday next year, though it’s unlikely there’ll be any public celebrations to mark the milestone.

While The Queen continues to reduce her engagements as she grows older, along with the Duke, they both together still perform several hundred engagements across the country each year. Her Majesty’s workload continues to decrease each year, however – as someone who sees the role of Monarch as a commitment for life – there is a broad consensus that Her Majesty will never abdicate, or stop performing engagements altogether while she is still in good health.

photo credit: Royal Navy Media Archive

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