THE Queen has marked her 95th birthday with a solo photo as she spends the day without Prince Philip for the first time in over 70 years.
Her Majesty is still in a period of mourning following the death of her beloved husband of 73 years aged 99.
The Royal Family Instagram page today released a stunning shot of the Queen smiling while dressed in a plum coat and hat.
A caption says: “Today is The Queen’s 95th birthday.
“The Queen was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
“This year Her Majesty remains at Windsor Castle, during a period of Royal Mourning following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh.”
It is understood Prince Charles will not be seeing his mum at Windsor Castle today as he is grieving Prince Philip at his home in Wales.
Meanwhile Prince Harry has returned to his home in California and Prince William is also not expected to be visiting the Queen today either.
Princess Anne and Sophie Wessex will be among the first to visit the Queen today under a rota-style system drawn up by close family.
Her Majesty will also be visited by her son Andrew, granddaughter Eugenie and her newborn son August in the coming days.
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates...
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PHILIP’S PET PEEVE
A long-time pal of Prince Philip’s has revealed the one thing the Queen did that annoyed the Duke.
Gyles Brandreth, who has penned a new book on Philip’s life, gave an insight into the royal couple’s 73-year marriage.
And while the pair were very happy in their lives together, the Queen had one habit that deeply irritated the Duke, he said.
Mr Brandreth, who appeared on ITV’s Lorraine this morning, said the monarch’s frequent phone calls were the biggest cause of the Duke’s domestic ire. He told Lorraine it was the “only time he ever complained about the Queen. He knew his whole life was about supporting the Queen and he never put foot wrong,” the author said.
“He always turned up, right day, right uniform, on time, one step behind. But he did find – he did say to me – ‘Oh god, she’s never off the phone, never off the phone. Who is she talking to?’” Lorraine joked: “She’s got queening to do – she’s being the Queen.”
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RECENT ROYAL UPDATES
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EXPLAINED: WHO IS LADY LOUISE?
Lady Louise is the daughter of the Queen and Prince Philip’s youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie.
The 17-year-old is said to have emerged as the Queen’s favourite grandchild following a lengthy stay at the monarch’s Scottish retreat, Balmoral, over the summer of 2019.
Louise is 14th in line to the throne, behind her younger brother James, as they were both born before the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act, which officially ended the centuries-old rule that male offspring take precedence over females.
A royal insider said: “The Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral, and she has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favourite grandchild, closely followed by James.”
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QUEEN'S PLANS FOR HER 9TH BIRTHDAY
It is understood the Queen would take corgi Muick and dachshund-corgi cross Fergus for a stroll around Frogmore Gardens on her birthday, as she has every day since Philip died.
But her special day falls within the two-week period of royal mourning for the Duke of Edinburgh, which is being observed until Friday.
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QUEEN WILL HAVE HAD 'VERY LONELY' BIRTHDAY WITH JUST A VISIT FROM ANDREW SAYS ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHER
The Queen will have had a "very lonely" 95th birthday with just a visit from her son Prince Andrew, Arthur Edwards has said. The Sun's royal photographer said Princess Beatrice and Eugenie may "pop in" but senior royals were more likely to phone Her Majesty for the occasion.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Arthur Edwards said: "I remember the 90th birthday parading through the streets with Philip through of Windsor with Philip, the 80th the same - exciting, huge crowds - but this year she'll be all alone.
"She will probably get a visit from Prince Andrew or maybe Beatrice and Eugenie will pop in and obviously the Prince of Wales and the others will phone her but it will be very lonely.
"That picture of her in the pew at St George's on her own, people must have cried over seeing that."
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ROYAL OUTRAGE
Peter Andre's wife Emily has slammed the 100,000 people who complained about the BBC's coverage of Prince Philip's death earlier this month.
The 99-year-old royal passed away on Friday 9 April, with the Beeb promptly wiping their schedule to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh for the rest of the day.
Writing in her column for OK! magazine, she shared: "I was surprised that more than 100,000 people complained about the BBC’s coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death.
"I don’t quite see the need to complain, because it means a lot to a lot of people, and it was such an important thing to cover."
The GP added: "If you don’t like something there are plenty of other channels available! I think it was really nice that they did such good coverage, but I do understand that I follow the Royal Family and not everyone does, so I guess it just wasn’t for everyone."
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ROYAL NEWS ROUNDUP
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SECRET SIBLING
Zara Tindall’s immediate family are some of the most famous household names in the world - but you’ll be forgiven if you’ve never heard of her half-sister.
As well as her brother Peter Phillips, the Queen’s granddaughter actually has two half sisters.
Her father Captain Mark Phillips is also dad to Felicity, by a brief affair he had in 1985, and Stephanie Phillips from her father’s second marriage to Sandy Pflueger.
And judging by her social media Stephanie enjoys an equally flashy life to her royal sibling.
More on Stephanie here.
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FOOTBALL KING
Prince William has praised the "united voice of football fans" after backlash forced European Super League clubs to quit the hated competition.
The proposed breakaway tournament was left in tatters on Tuesday night after ALL six Premier League clubs withdrew following fan backlash.
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WHAT WAS IN THE WREATH LEFT BY HARRY AND MEGHAN
The wreath featured acanthus mollis, or Bear’s breeches, which is the national flower of Greece, representing Philip’s heritage, and Eryngium, or sea holly, in a nod to his time with the Royal Marines.
It also included campanula, which signifies gratitude and everlasting love, as well as rosemary to signify remembrance.
Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, also selected lavender for devotion and roses in honour of June, which is Philip’s birth month.
Willow Crossley is said to have hand-made the wreath, who also arranged the flowers for the couple’s evening wedding celebrations in Frogmore Gardens and for the Sussexes’ son Archie’s christening.
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THE QUEEN ENTERS 'TWILIGHT' OF HER REIGN AFTER THE DEATH OF PRINCE PHILIP
The Queen is entering the “twilight” of her reign after the death of Prince Philip, a royal expert has stated.
Now that the Royal Family has said farewell to Prince Philip, attention will turn to Queen Elizabeth II with her birthday today and upcoming celebrations marking her 70 years on the throne.
This combination of events is reminding the United Kingdom that the reign of the Queen, the only monarch most of her subjects have ever known, is finite. This has triggered speculation about how long she will remain on the throne, what the monarchy will look like in the future and, for some, even whether it should continue to exist.
“The Queen is certainly moving now into the twilight of her reign and a new phase of her reign”, said Anna Whitelock, director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London.
“She now is a widow, and it remains to be seen how she’s going to respond to that.”
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'UNWAVERING RESPECT'
Prince Harry met the Queen privately "at least twice" and spoke to Charles and William after Prince Philip's funeral, a pal claimed today.
Omid Scobie reported the Duke of Sussex met with his grandmother after he flew to the UK to mourn the death of his grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh.
Harry left the UK yesterday - flying back to the US to be with his pregnant wife Meghan Markle as the Queen today marked her 95th birthday in the UK.
But Mr Scobie said Harry had been able to speak with his grandmother "at least twice" during his time back in Britain.
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TODAY MARKS THE QUEEN'S 95TH BIRTHDAY - WE PAY TRIBUTE TO OUR LONGEST SERVING MONARCH
At a time of deep sadness for the Royal Family, the Queen marks her 95th birthday today. And our thoughts are with you, Ma’am.
After nearly seven decades on the throne, you are the longest-serving monarch in British history.
It’s a source of great pride to your United Kingdom that our head of state, the world’s most famous woman, is an example and an inspiration to millions.
Although you are still in mourning for Prince Philip, on behalf of our readers, The Sun would like to send fondest birthday wishes for today. And in this special 12-page tribute, we celebrate 95 moments of Majesty in your extraordinary life.
For the heartfelt moments click here.
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HITTING OUT
Channel 5's Jeremy Vine Show has received 139 Ofcom complaints after being accused of "race baiting" for pointing out all of Prince Philip's funeral guests were white.
The presenter, 55, came under fire last Friday after he asked a guest on his show whether she thought it was a "problem" that all 30 attendees at the service in Windsor would be white.
Vine said on last week's show: "We are going to see a group of 30 people who are going to be at this very restricted funeral, and I'm imagining it will be 30 people who are white.
"I'm just trying to think whether there's anybody of colour in there and I don't think so. Do you think that's a problem?"
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'FLAGSHIP OF THE SEAS'
Fascinating photographs showing the Queen and Prince Philip at the launch of the QE2 transatlantic superliner have been revealed in a new book just days after the duke's death. The candid photographs show the monarch, aged 41 in 1967, smiling as she visited the dockyard with her husband.
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HAD HIS PHIL
A long-time pal of Prince Philip's has revealed the one thing the Queen did that annoyed the Duke.
Gyles Brandreth, who has penned a new book on Philip's life, gave an insight into the royal couple's 73-year marriage.
And while the pair were very happy in their lives together, the Queen had one habit that deeply irritated the Duke, he said. Mr Brandreth, who appeared on ITV's Lorraine this morning, said the monarch's frequent phone calls were the biggest cause of the Duke's domestic ire.
He told Lorraine it was the "only time he ever complained about the Queen".
"He knew his whole life was about supporting the Queen and he never put a foot wrong," the author said. "He always turned up, right day, right uniform, on time, on
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QUEEN THANKS NATION ON HER BIRTHDAY
THE Queen has today thanked the nation for “support and kindness” following Prince Philip’s death – as she spends her first birthday without him.
She told of her sadness on her 95th birthday, days after the funeral for her husband of more than 70 years, adding she was “deeply touched” by the good wishes.
She said: “I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate.
“While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.”
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WILL AND KATE'S DAY OUT
KATE Middleton tried her hand at flight simulation and gamely leapt into a fake cockpit as she and Prince William visited Air Cadets today.
In an engagement to honour Prince Philip, William offered to hold her bag and joked “this is going to be interesting” as his chuckling wife tested her skills.
It is their first royal engagement since the 99-year-old Duke’s death, and comes on the Queen’s 95th birthday.
They were given special permission to attend despite the period of mourning still being in place.
Kate joked with William – who wore a black tie as a mark of respect to his grandfather – as she clambered into the simulator and then put on a headset with a microphone attached.
She was talked through the controls of the Grob tutor, a light aircraft which thousands of cadets use each year for air experience flights.
Prince William says 'this is going to be interesting' as Kate tries flight simulation -
HARRY’S PRIVATE MEETINGS WITH THE QUEEN
PRINCE Harry met the Queen privately “at least twice” and spoke to Charles and William after Prince Philip’s funeral.
A pal has claimed the Duke of Sussex met with the Monarch a number of times, after he flew in to mourn his grandfather.
Omid Scobie wrote in Bazaar.com: “The love and respect he has for his grandmother will always be unwavering.
“This trip was to honour the life of his grandfather and support his grandmother and relatives.
“It was very much a family-focused period of time. Saturday broke the ice for future conversations but outstanding issues have not been addressed at any great length.
“The family simply put their issues to one side to focus on what mattered.”
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PHILIP’S PET PEEVE
A LONG-TIME pal of Prince Philip’s has revealed the one thing the Queen did that annoyed the Duke.
Gyles Brandreth, who has penned a new book on Philip’s life, gave an insight into the royal couple’s 73-year marriage.
And while the pair were very happy in their lives together, the Queen had one habit that deeply irritated the Duke, he said.
Mr Brandreth, who appeared on ITV’s Lorraine this morning, said the monarch’s frequent phone calls were the biggest cause of the Duke’s domestic ire.
He told Lorraine it was the “only time he ever complained about the Queen. He knew his whole life was about supporting the Queen and he never put foot wrong,” the author said.
“He always turned up, right day, right uniform, on time, one step behind. But he did find – he did say to me – ‘Oh god, she’s never off the phone, never off the phone. Who is she talking to?’”
Lorraine joked: “She’s got queening to do – she’s being the Queen.”
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HARRY HEADS BACK
Prince Harry has rushed back to the US to be by pregnant wife Meghan’s side following Prince Philip’s funeral – missing the Queen’s 95th birthday.
The Duke of Sussex, 36, flew to Los Angeles on an American Airlines flight from London, which arrived at LAX shortly after 1.30pm local time on Tuesday.
His black 4×4 was seen leaving the airport’s private terminal minutes after the plane landed and was spotted again arriving in Montecito at around 4pm.
The royal’s return to America means he missed the Queen’s 95th birthday today – following a summit at Frogmore Cottage with Prince William, Kate and Prince Charles.
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HARRY’S FAMILY ISSUES 'NOT ADDRESSED'
PRINCE Harry’s “outstanding issues” with his family were not addressed on his trip back to the UK despite a royal summit, a pal says.
The Duke of Sussex, 36, met with Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton at a summit after Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday.
But a source hinted to pal Omid Scobie the rift may not be healed as their problems were not “addressed”.
The source told Bazaar.com: “This trip was to honour the life of his grandfather and support his grandmother and relatives.
“It was very much a family-focused period of time. Saturday broke the ice for future conversations but outstanding issues have not been addressed at any great length.
“The family simply put their issues to one side to focus on what mattered.”
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OFCOM COMPLAINTS
MORE than 6,000 Brits have now complained to Ofcom over Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The show has attracted criticism from viewers throughout April – even though it was screened more than a month ago on March 8.
Hundreds more complaints have been logged over the past seven days.
In total, 6,203 have now complained about the two-hour special.
The news comes as Harry jets back to LA to be with pregnant Meghan after his grandfather’s funeral – and hours before the Queen’s birthday.
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PRINCE HARRY TO RETURN IN SUMMER
PRINCE Harry WILL return to the UK and join William to unveil Princess Diana’s statue this summer, a Royal expert said.
The Duke of Sussex will come from the US for the exhibit after chats with his brother at Prince Philip’s funeral “broke the ice.”
According to Royal biographer Omid Scobie, the Duke of Sussex is expected to be at the statue unveiling for Princess Diana at Kensington Palace.
Writing in Bazaar.com, he said: “He will join William at Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden for a ceremony that was rescheduled from summer 2020.”
The statue of Diana is set to be revealed on July 1 – on what would have been her 60th birthday.
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WILL AND KATE BACK TO WORK
Kate Middleton and Prince William have got back to work and visited the Air Cadets on the Queen's birthday to honour Prince Philip.
It is their first royal engagement since the 99-year-old Duke's death, and comes on the Queen's 95th birthday.
Prince Philip was royal patron of RAF Air Cadets for 63 years.
He handed the role down to Kate who became an honorary air commander in 2015.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today visited 282 (East Ham) Squadron, Air Training Corps in East London to hear more about how it supports young people to develop vital life skills.
During the visit, the Squadron paid tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh with a Three Cheers Salute.
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