She famously has not one but two birthdays a year, and Her Majesty the Queen celebrated her real birthday on Sunday as she turned 93.
Born on April 21st, 1926, the Queen tends to celebrate her actual birthday privately, preferring to publicly mark the occasion of turning another year older on her ‘official birthday’ in June. However, this year her birthday fell on Easter Sunday, meaning she spent the day at church with her nearest and dearest.
Members of the monarch’s family paid tribute to the matriarch on Sunday, with the likes of her eldest son Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sharing sweet messages and personal photographs of the Queen in honour of her special day.
Heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales and his wife of 14 years the Duchess of Cornwall were among the first to share a message for the Queen online, posting a series of images of the pair and the monarch over the years, including one of the Queen as a young woman holding one of her beloved Corgi pups in her arms.
“Happy Birthday to Her Majesty the Queen,” the message, shared via their official Clarence House account, read.
Happy 93rd birthday to Her Majesty The Queen. #HappyBirthdayHerMajesty #QueensBirthday pic.twitter.com/rwR1IIca1Y
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) April 21, 2019
While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in what is becoming their signature social media style, posted a far more personal message alongside several photos, including one from Meghan’s first solo engagement with the Queen in June 2018.
The couple, who are expected to welcome their first child any day now, said: “Happy Birthday Your Majesty, Ma’am, Granny. Wishing you the most wonderful day! Harry & Meghan.”
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also got involved, writing: “Wishing a very Happy 93rd Birthday to Her Majesty the Queen!”
One of the photographs shared via Catherine and William’s official Kensington Palace account showed the Queen greeting her young great-grandson, while another showed the monarch standing alongside her family during Trooping the Colour, which is held annually to mark her official state birthday.
Wishing a very happy 93rd birthday to Her Majesty The Queen! #HappyBirthdayYourMajesty pic.twitter.com/gTSBHrhxTy
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 21, 2019
While the official Twitter account for the entire royal family shared the most poignant tribute to the long-reigning monarch, posting a video which documented the Queen’s life from her birth in 1926 all the way up to 2019 with a series of photographs.
The first image shown is one taken of the baby princess, who was then the eldest daughter of the heir apparent, on her Christening day in May 1926. Then just one-month-old, the future monarch is seen lying in her mother’s arms as her father, then the Duke of York, stands proudly behind.
Other images include one of the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh waving to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following Her Majesty’s coronation and several of the royal couple with their four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.
Happy 93rd birthday to Her Majesty The Queen!
Our video includes a photograph from each decade of The Queen’s life, from an image of her as a baby in 1926, to her visit to King’s College last month. #QueensBirthday #HappyBirthdayHerMajesty pic.twitter.com/E2J8c5rziD
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 21, 2019
And lastly the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Eugenie wished her a “very Happy Birthday”, just days after the pair stepped out together at a Maundy Thursday church service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
“Wishing Her Majesty The Queen a very Happy Birthday. I hope today is incredibly special,” the newlywed royal said.
Fans of the monarch also shared their birthday wishes for the Queen online, with one writing: “Happy 93rd Birthday Your Majesty. You are a treasure to the world. I wish you a wonderful celebration with your family.”
Another said: “To our splendid lady who the majority of us have only known as our monarch.. a very Happy Birthday to you Your Majesty! May you enjoy a wonderful year ahead filled with happiness and continued health ma’am!”
While a third wrote: “God bless your days Happy Easter Ma’am! Long reign over us.”