UK PM hails ‘steadfast’ queen on her 90th
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Queen Elizabeth II – Britain’s oldest and longest-serving monarch – has been celebrating her 90th birthday with a day at home with the dogs, a short walk to greet well-wishers and a family party, as the nation paid tribute to her service and stamina.
Her government and subjects held gun salutes, fireworks and speeches in parliament in her honour, and televised retrospectives offered scenes from a royal life that has stretched from the Roaring ’20s to the Internet age.
“Her Majesty has been steadfast – a rock of strength for our nation, for our Commonwealth and on many occasions for the whole world,” declared British Prime Minister David Cameron
He said the queen “has lived through some extraordinary times,” from World War II to the moon landing, the end of the Cold War and the advent of peace in Northern Ireland.
Cameron led tributes on Thursday in the House of Commons to the monarch and her “unshakable sense of duty”, pointing out that the queen had provided counsel to 12 British prime ministers and met a quarter of all the US presidents in history.
At dusk, the parliament building will be lit up in the red, white and blue of the Union Jack.
Born Princess Elizabeth on April 21, 1926, she became queen at 25 upon the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. A majority of Britons have lived under no other monarch.
The queen spent the day at Windsor Castle, leaving to greet well-wishers on a walk through the town west of London. Hundreds had lined up hours beforehand, carrying cakes, cards, balloons and Union flags.
The band of the Coldstream Guards played Happy Birthday and royal fans snapped mobile phone photos as the Queen, clad in pale green, greeted local dignitaries, townspeople and tourists.
Later, the Queen will light the first in a chain of 1000 beacons to blaze across Britain and around the world, before attending a private family party at the castle.
Elsewhere, the day was being marked with an eruption of pomp. Artillery companies fired gun salutes from sites including Hyde Park and the Tower of London, and the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out in celebration.
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