Queen Elizabeth II privately marks her 96th birthday – Saanich News

FILE – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II greets the crowds as she rides with Prince Phillip in an open top car to celebrates her 90th birthday in Windsor, England, Thursday, April, 21, 2016.

Elizabeth is expected to spend the day at the estate’s Wood Farm cottage, a personal sanctuary where she also spent her first Christmas since Philip’s death in April 2021.

This birthday comes during the queen’s platinum jubilee year, marking her 70 years on the throne.

The day marks yet another milestone in a tumultuous period for the monarch, who has sought to cement the future of the monarchy amid signs of her age and controversy in the family.

Last month, with the pandemic on the wane and restrictions eased, the queen shrugged off recent health issues to attend a service of thanksgiving for Philip at Westminster Abbey, entering the abbey on the arm of Andrew, her second son.

“She has a lot coming up in the next few months, so it absolutely makes sense that she enjoys her birthday quietly, privately at Sandringham,″ Nash said.

FILE – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II collects flowers and good wishes during a walkabout to celebrates her 90th birthday in Windsor, England, Thursday, April, 21, 2016.

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