Queen Elizabeth II and family mark 90th birthday with parade

The Queen made an unforgettable entrance at the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, trading her usual pastel suits for a show-stopping bold green outfit.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II waves as she watches the flypast with the royal family during the Trooping The Colour parade at Buckingham Palace.

Pomp and pageantry was the order of the day as the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, William, Kate and Prince Harry earlier took part in the monarch’s annual Trooping the Colour parade.

Thousands of forces’ families sat in stands around Horse Guards Parade – Henry VIII’s former jousting yard – and watched the Queen inspect the troops from her vintage carriage as the three royal colonels – Charles, Anne and William – wearing their military uniforms followed on horseback.

According to The Telegraph, Charlotte’s older brother, Prince George, wore the same outfit that his father, Prince William, wore almost 32 years ago.

The former soldier was left impressed by his first experience of a Trooping the Colour ceremony: “It was absolutely brilliant, I’ve taken part in some of these big parades and it is an enormous amount of hard work and when they all do it together it’s just unbelievable”.

Large flag-waving crowds flocked to the mall to mark the queen’s milestone and to enjoy the procession.

Her Majesty paired her vibrant Stewart Parvin coat and dress with a hat by Rachel Trevor, and the surprising ensemble made her instantly recognizable to the huge crowd of well-wishers who had gathered to celebrate her 90th birthday.

The actual date of her birth is April 21, 1926.

But her official birthday is marked in Britain on a Saturday in June with Trooping the Colour.

The birthday parade features the Household Division of the British Army – seven regiments traditionally seen as the monarch’s official guards.

The festivities continue with a massive street party in front of the palace.

The pair attended a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on Friday, where they were joined by other members of the royal family and politicians, past and present.

Even Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has frosty relations with Britain, sent a message of congratulations to the queen.