Queen to mark official 90th birthday with Trooping the Colour parade

Hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial dress have marched in London in the annual Trooping the Colour parade to mark the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.

At St Paul’s Cathedral leading figures from national life will gather to honour the Queen’s milestone with prayers, hymns and readings.

(AP Photo/Tim Ireland). Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II smiles with Prince Philip, right, Prince William, centre, his son Prince George, front, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge holding Princess Charlotte, centre left, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Camb.

The Royal Family watched the ceremony unfold from the Duke of Wellington’s old office which overlooks Horse Guards and was directly behind the Queen’s dais where she sat with Philip.

To mark the occasion, the sixth and final portrait in the series of official birthday pictures taken by USA photographer Annie Leibovitz was released, showing the monarch with her husband at her Windsor Castle home, west of London.

13 month-year-old Princess Charlotte made her first official debut on Saturday at her great grandmother’s 90th birthday celebration.

The parade featured nearly 1,500 uniformed officers and their men as well as more than 300 horses.

Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft used in the 1940s Battle of Britain took part in the flypast, capped off with the air force’s famous Red Arrows flying with red, white and blue smoke in the trail.

Dating back to the 18th century, the “Trooping the Colour” event takes its name from a ceremony to hand over the Colour, a regimental flag, and parade it through ranks of troops.

Up until the 1980s, the Queen even rode in the parade on horseback.

On Saturday spectators will see the traditional pomp and military splendour of Trooping the Colour – also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade – and on Sunday a street party for 10,000 revellers will be staged in The Mall with other smaller events across the country.

There are plans for street parties across the country, similar to those which took place for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

The Queen actually turned 90 on April 21, but official celebrations are held in June, a long-standing tradition.

Kirsty Young presents live coverage of the Patron’s Lunch in St James’ Park, London, which is the third event to celebrate the Queen’s 90 birthday over the course of the weekend.

“A more relaxed and informal celebration part of the weekend, and a nice way to draw a line under her birthday celebrations this year”.