On April 21st, thousands of people gathered outside Windsor Castle to celebrate the momentous milestone of Queen Elizabeth the Second’s 90th birthday. Crowds around the street of Winsdor serenaded the queen on her walk with lively performances of the ‘Happy Birthday” song and other chants of gratitude and love. The Queen, also known as the Grace of God, Queen of this Realm, Head of the Commonwealth, and Defender of the Faith, has ruled since the death of her father, King George VI, when she was twenty seven years old.
In past years, the Queen has usually spent it simply and quietly with family members, but this year was possibly the biggest celebration that England has seen in a long time. The day was marked with a gun salute in Winsdor Great Park as well as the Tower of London. Her majesty was joined by the rest of the royal family at the spectacular Trooping the Colour parade which moves between Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Horseguards’ Parade.
As the queen is a beloved figure in Europe, many gifts were sent to Buckingham Palace, including a photograph by world renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, who presented the queen with a portrait of herself on the East Terrace of Windsor Castle, surrounded by her four beloved corgi dogs, Willow, Vulcan, Candy and Holly.
At ninety years old, Queen Elizabeth the Second has spent the longest time in office than any other British monarch. Since her coronation in June of 1953. Since the beginning of her rule, Queen Elizabeth has ruled through eleven U.S. presidents, starting from President Truman. Since then, the world have drastically changed. Politics, science, technology and society evolved right in front of her eyes for the six decades of her reign. In 2002, Prince William said, “Time and again, quietly and modestly, the Queen has shown us all that we can confidently embrace the future without compromising the things that are important.”
The Queen has not only a respectable reputation with the world, but also a well-cultured experience as well. She has undertaken almost 300 official oversea visits to 129 countries.
Since the position of 2nd Lieutenant Elizabeth Windsor, The Queen has always had an interest of scientific breakthroughs and technological advances. In fact, in 1953, seeing the potential of the media, she convinced the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill to publicly broadcast the coronation of television.
If someone is to be in reign for six decades, it helps to have an extensive sense of humor, and Queen Elizabeth is known to be a “royal prankster”. In 1998, the queen invited Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Abdullah to tour the estate. When he arrived and sat in the passenger seat, Queen Elizabeth hopped in the front driver’s seat, much to him surprise. She drove calmly and professionally all the way to the estate to prove her point, since, In Saudi Arabia, women are not permitted to drive.
In her time as queen and her accomplishments, Queen Elizabeth II imprints a legacy of kindness and wisdom to her country and to the rest of the world.
