Her Majesty (64 page)

The Birthday Parade.

The oldest Monarch and the oldest Consort in British history return from Trooping the Colour. Although the Queen was 85 in April, this is her official birthday. The Duke of Edinburgh was 90 the day before.

The extended Royal Family – including the latest recruit to frontline royal duties.

The customary salute from the Red Arrows.

Pope Benedict XVI begins his 2010 Papal visit to Britain with the official welcome at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. In 1961, the Queen made the first state visit to the Vatican.

The Head of the Armed Forces opens the new Joint Headquarters in Northwood.

Wearing a gold coat, shawl and hat made by her dresser, Angela Kelly, the Queen tours Abu Dhabi’s Sheik Zayed mosque at the start of her 2010 state visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Welcome to Singapore.

As the Queen visits Ireland for the first time, the excitement is too much for one resident at the National Stud.

The State Banquet for President Barack Obama at Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s reign has already spanned twelve US presidencies.

Garter Day at Windsor Castle— a celebration of the oldest order of chivalry in Britain. Lunch is always followed by a procession of all the knights and a service at St George’s Chapel. It was the Queen’s father, George VI, who revived much of this medieval pageantry.