A set of new photos of The Queen as a child have been released by Buckingham Palace to celebrate her 90th birthday, coinciding with the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Taken from the Royal Archives, the three images (two released yesterday, one more today) show Princess Elizabeth with her father, King George VI, at an outdoor swimming pool, and with the young princess with a bird on her arm.
Princess Elizabeth with a bird on her arm. HM Queen Elizabeth II 2016
This evening, Ant and Dec will host the ITV programme to celebrate Her Majesty’s 90th from the Royal Windsor Horse Show, which The Queen and members of her family will be attending. It will feature more than 1,500 performers including singers Katherine Jenkins and Dame Shirley Bassey, and actors Imelda Staunton and Dame Helen Mirren.
The show will cover the Queen’s early years, teenage life, Second World War and Coronation to the present day.
“This spectacular evening will bring together some of the best-known names in the entertainment world who will perform with 900 horses and 1500 participants to mark this very special birthday.”
The third image shows Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret cuddling two corgis, sitting alongside their father, Bertie.
Members of the public will line the Long Walk at Windsor Castle to watch the show on big screens, and Lady Louise, daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, will take part in the equine performances, along with a 13-year-old equestrienne, who will play Princess Elizabeth.
Downton Abbey star Jim Carter and his wife Imelda Staunton will celebrate The Queen’s childhood years, with Carter narrating and Staunton singing.
Margaret and Elizabeth with two corgis and the King
He said: “I’m thrilled to be asked to play a part in the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. I will be narrating a section of the programme that spotlights her childhood – I believe that Shetland ponies are also involved! I can’t reveal too much as I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
Dame Helen Mirren will take audiences through The Queen’s teenage years before Katherine Jenkins performs I Vow To Thee My Country. Alan Titchmarsh, however, will talk the audience through The Queen’s estates and her love of family, and outdoor pursuits – horses, dogs and the countryside.
