Queen's 90th birthday: What is happening and when?
21 April
Congratulations are pouring in from all over the world as the Queen celebrates her 90th birthday, having become Britain's longest-serving monarch last year.
Prime Minister David Cameron has described her as "a rock of strength for our nation, for our Commonwealth and on many occasions for the whole world", while Prince Charles has recorded a special radio broadcast.
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In the message, the Prince of Wales reads an edited passage from William Shakespeare's Henry VIII. The extract, from a speech by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to King Henry VIII after the birth of the future Queen Elizabeth I, ends: "She shall be, to the happiness of England; An aged princess; many days shall see her; And yet no day without a deed to crown it."
Three portraits by American photographer Annie Leibovitz have been also been released to mark the occasion. One shows Queen Elizabeth in the private grounds of Windsor Castle with her beloved dogs Willow, Vulcan, Candy and Holly.
Another shows the Queen with her daughter Princess Anne, while the third shows the Queen surrounded by the youngest members of her family, including Princess Charlotte and Prince George.
When is the Queen's birthday?
While the Queen's actual birthday is 21 April, the celebrations for her 90th will take place on 12 to 15 May on private grounds at Windsor Castle. Her official birthday, marked by the Trooping the Colour parade, falls on 11 June and will be accompanied by other celebrations throughout the weekend.
However, this week's festivities will have to compete with a visit from one of the few people who could actually steal her thunder – US President Barack Obama, who arrives in the UK on Thursday. He will pay his respects to the Queen at a private luncheon in Windsor Castle the next day – and royal-watchers will be keen to see what he brings her as a present.
What events are happening?
Thursday's celebrations will see the Queen lighting the first in a series of 900 beacons which will eventually shine all over the UK and its overseas territories.
In May, the main festivities are based around a pageant at Windsor Castle which will honour her love of horses and "deep involvement" with the Armed Forces, according to the BBC. The gala show will feature 550 horses and more than 1,200 musicians, dancers, actors and artists from around the Commonwealth.
It will also tell the story of the monarch's life, covering her childhood, her service in the Second World War, her ascent to the throne in 1952 and the 64 years which have passed since.
A different member of the royal family will preside each evening, culminating in the attendance of the Queen herself at the final celebration on 15 May, a 90-minute long extravaganza which will be broadcast live by ITV.
Hosted by TV presenters Ant and Dec, it will feature performances from the likes of Kylie Minogue and Katherine Jenkins and include appearances from stars including Dame Helen Mirren, John Boyega and Jennifer Saunders.
More sedate celebrations are planned for the Queen's official birthday weekend in June, which will begin with a service of thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral on Friday, attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. There will also be extended pub opening hours on Friday in honour of the occasion – cheers!
The annual Trooping the Colour will take place in Horse Guards Parade on Saturday, followed by an RAF flypast.
The Patron's Lunch and street party in The Mall on 12 June is expected to draw more than 10,000 guests, 7,500 of whom will represent charities the Queen supports. There will be 1,500 tickets issued for the event's partners and 1,000 made publicly available. Big screens will show the event to spectators in St James's Park and Green Park.
What if I can't make it?
Like the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, her 90th birthday celebrations will be broadcast on television. Following nearly 5,000 complaints over its lacklustre coverage of the Diamond Jubilee, the BBC was "cut out" of negotiations to cover the event, according to the Daily Telegraph. Instead, you will be able to watch the final night of the May celebrations and the June parade and party on ITV.
'Prince William pays tribute ahead of Queen's 90th birthday
19 April
The Duke of Cambridge has joined the chorus of paeans to the Queen as her 90th birthday approaches, describing his grandmother as a "guiding example" for the royal family.
In an interview with the BBC, Prince William singled out "the Queen's duty and her service, her tolerance, her commitment to others" as an inspiration for what a monarch should be.
Following criticism from the tabloid press of being work-shy, he stressed that he took his duty "very seriously", but added: "I don't lie awake waiting to be king."
William also features in ten commemorative stamps which have been released by the Royal Mail. A sheet of four stamps depicts a family portrait, showing the Prince of Wales and the Queen seated beside William, while Prince George stands between them - the young royal standing on foam boxes so his head is roughly in line with those of his father, grandfather and great-grandmother.
The stamps are one of the dozens of special tributes planned to mark the Queen's milestone birthday.
Kylie Minogue to perform at Queen's 90th birthday weekend
8 April
Pop star Kylie Minogue, opera singer Katherine Jenkins and Homeland actor Damian Lewis are among the celebrities performing at the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations.
Other famous faces on the roster include soul singer Beverley Knight, West End star Alfie Boe and chart-topper Jess Glynn.
The performances will take place at the centrepiece event of the weekend's festivities - a dramatic retelling of the Queen's life and reign, hosted by TV presenters Ant and Dec at Windsor Castle.
Music, storytelling and a grandiose staging said to involve 900 horses and 1,500 participants will combine to recreate the Queen's life, from her birth in 1926 through her coronation in 1953 and her 60 years on the throne. The armed forces will also figure prominently, reflecting the Queen's military service during the Second World War, when she was then Princess Elizabeth, as well as her patronage of the British military.
Ant and Dec said they were "honoured" to be presenting the "spectacular" show, which will also feature comedian Jennifer Saunders, recent Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton and Star Wars actor John Boyega, the BBC reports.
The event forms part of a planned four-day celebration of the Queen's birthday to be held in May, including a mass picnic along the Mall for 10,000 guests.
Queen's 90th birthday to be marked with longer pub hours
23 March
Pub hours are to be extended across the country on 10 and 11 June to mark the Queen's 90th birthday, David Cameron announced during Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon.
Football fans who like a drink will appreciate the initiative, as England and Wales both play their first games of Euro 2016 in France on 11 June, against Russia and Slovakia respectively.
"Cameron announces two-day bender for Queen's 90th Birthday," proclaims the Daily Star, entering into the spirit of things.
"The government will hope the extra drinking time will be more popular than its Clean for the Queen campaign, which encouraged people to spend a day picking up litter," says the Daily Mirror.
Others speculated that the Twitter hashtag #DrinkForTheQueen would enjoy greater success than #CleanForTheQueen.
Keep Britain Tidy's initiative to encourage people to spend a day picking up rubbish ahead of the monarch's birthday has prompted a mixture of enthusiasm and derision since its launch. The Guardian's Michele Hanson wrote a piece last month headlined: "I would rather swim in sewage than Clean for the Queen".
Other events planned for the Queen's birthday weekend include a street party on The Mall in London, a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral and the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Guards Parade.
The Queen's official birthday falls on Saturday 11 June, although her actual birthday is on 21 April.
Kate Middleton to give first interview as a royal to mark Queen's 90th birthday
3 March
The Duchess of Cambridge is to give her first official interview as a member of the royal family as part of the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations.
The Duchess, still popularly known as Kate Middleton to her fans, will join her husband, the Duke, in an ITV documentary tribute to the monarch, Hello! magazine reports. It will be her first official interview since she and Prince William spoke to Sky News after announcing their engagement in 2010.
Currently being produced under the title The Queen at Ninety, the two-hour film will examine the life and reign of the Queen, who, last September, became Britain's longest-serving monarch.
The Prince of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, will also be among those contributing their thoughts and memories.
The documentary is set to screen in the spring, amid the fanfare expected to accompany the Queen's 90th celebrations in May, followed by her official birthday in June.
The Queen will celebrate her 90th birthday with two weekend-long celebrations in May and June next year. The events include an equestrian-themed party at Windsor Castle and a street party for 10,000 guests on The Mall.
Peter Phillips, the Queen's grandson and the organiser of the events, told the BBC that his grandmother was "excited" about the celebrations.
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